Dormant Blood
by Beetledude
Summary: Some things are taken at face value; vampires feeding off of blood, werewolves turning at full moon and veela only being female. However, everything isn't set in stone, and people can turn out different than they're expected to. Rated M for future content
1. Prologue

AN: I have been toying with this plot for some time now, and have actually managed to write a decent of it already, however it is known plot already, though extremely untapped if you ask me. I'm mainly placing this prologue up to feel the audience out, to see if people are interested in it. I've added OC's in the story as you might discover later on, but I've tried to avoid the major trap that most get caught in at that point; I don't suddenly make any OC's unbelievable or insanely powerful, and I have tried to measure out your exposure to them, so they only gradually get eased into the story.

All in all, I hope to receive some feedback on this prologue before I submit anything further, and please don't let it be useless drivel like 'plz make it so that Harry ends with Ginny/Hermione/whoever'. The point of me writing this is so that I can write a story that I, myself. would find intriguing and exciting and hopefully share it with you, so expectations are okay, but base it on what I've written if you have to.

Also I hope to make some of the character behavior transitions more plausible, however bear with me if it seems a bit rough around the edges to begin with. Furthermore, I am aware that I made a mistake when pairing Fleur with the Chinese fireball, but it was inconsequential to the story as a whole.

_Summary:_ Some things are taken at face value, like; vampires feeding off of blood, werewolves turning at full moon and veela all being female. However, everything isn't set in stone, and people can turn out different than they're expected to. Rated M for future content

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**Prologue:**

The stared in horror at the long slender Chinese dragon, which seemed to slither along the ground towards her; yellow scales glittering in the bright day light, while it took each calculating step.

The slitted eyes of this giant reptile locked on her tiny frame, radiating bloodlust, but for some reason it seemed to be refraining from simply lunging forth and smashing her beneath its massive bulk and seemed to choose a more terrifying approach instead. Each step towards her was taken calmly and had a calculating air about it, but what truly unnerved her was the glint of intelligence in the eyes of the beast.

Her silvery blonde hair whipped in the wind, which had heated significantly from the flames of the dragon, and a burned smell permeated the area.

Her delicate fingers clenched the golden egg tightly as her pupils dilated in fright. She suspected the only reason she was still alive was because she held what the dragon thought was one of its eggs.

Slowly backing away to one of the stone outcroppings scattered across the game field, and in hindsight wanted to snort at the notion of calling it that, this had ceased to be a game when the Chinese Fireball had broken its magically enhanced bindings meant to hold it back. The chain was meant to hold the beast away, since even though the students admitted into this tournament were undoubtedly skilled, they were still not good enough to face a fully grown free dragon. They were after all still school children.

She placed a foot behind the small mass of stones, all the while keeping her eyes glued to the prowling dragon before her. She lowered the egg to the ground as calmly as she could, so as not to appear threatening, and gently sent it rolling towards the dragon. The dragon did as she had hoped and stopped its approach, and lowered its snout to the ground, to stop the rolling of the egg when it reached its claws.

She however hardly noticed this as she put her legs to use to put in putting as distance between herself and the dragon as possible, and acknowledged to herself that she had done the smart thing when she heard the bestial roar from behind her.

She ran from outcropping to outcropping, hoping to remain hidden for as long as possible. However that was not to be as felt a tremble go through the ground almost causing her to fall, but what made her even more panicked was the whoosh of air that resounded and echoed through her mind. As she kept running she spared a quick glance over her shoulder, and had trouble suppressing the sudden urge to scream at what she saw.

The dragon was hovering some 50 feet off the ground, those terrifying intense red orbs following her, and even as she turned her head forward again, she saw out the corner of her eye, the dragon gliding closer to her.

The screams of the audience was almost non-existent to her, as if it had been muted. The only sounds she heard, were the pounding of her heart, the fall of her feet and the flapping of wings getting ever closer and the swishing of her target; the tent she had emerged from.

Only 40 feet now, and if possible her legs increased their pumping giving her a boost to her speed, and only a sense of danger caused her to dive forward in time to avoid the snap of jaws as the dragon had flown in from the side eager to devour her. Quickly scrambling to her feet, from the awkward position she had landed in, she barreled towards the tent, which was less than 15 feet away now.

She felt an immense heat behind her, and barely got in through the flap before, landing on the ground in the tent, a few spots on her left arm slightly singed from the heat, though it would have been much, much worse had it actually been hit by the dragons flame. Luckily the tent was enchanted and charmed to be resilient to heat, extremely resilient. With heat resistance and spells meant to make the tent canvas walls as tough as bricks. Though against a loose and enraged dragon it would probably only last a minute before it came crashing down.

She felt several trembles go through the ground, but could hear nothing as the tent was also charmed to keep all sound outside. The trembles came faster and faster and she cursed loudly.

"Fleur?", came a questioning voice from nearby.

She quickly whirled to face whoever it was and found the final contestant standing there. A mass of black, unruly hair and green eyes, which shone with what she discerned to be worry. "What is happe…"

"'Arry", she practically sobbed in relief. Never had she been so happy to see anyone before as she was to see him right now. Then her relief immediately gave way to fear again. "We have to get out. The dragon is loose", she said frantically, and ran up to him and gripped his arm fiercely tugging him with her outside. Fresh air greeted them as they ran outside, and they were not a second too late as the yellow dragon descended on the tent ripping it apart, as if it were nothing more than paper.

She gulped and couldn't help but be happy they weren't in there anymore. But before long she pulled him along with her again and dumped down unceremoniously behind a large boulder, and pulled Harry down with her.

She panted heavily, and leaned on him for support, trembling slightly. She was however broken out of her daze by his concerned and slightly panicking voice.

"Fleur, what happened in there, how the bloody hell did it break free?"

She shook her head. "I don't know 'Arry. One minute everything is fine and then it broke the chain", she said with a tremble in her voice. "What are we going to do?"

Harry seemed to ponder this dilemma for only a second, as the screams of the audience and the roars of the dragon grew louder, then turned to look at her and cautiously laid out his plan.

"Well, unfortunately right now were stuck, there's no way we can get away from that dragon from where we are right now without being noticed, and we can't possibly hope to outrun it", he said. A scream of pain was heard and he grimaced. "And confronting it seems out of the question. So flying seems to be the only answer."

She stared stupidly at him as he brought out his wand.

"Huh?", was the smart reply that escaped her lips, but then again, she didn't have any plans of her own, though it seemed foolhardy to take this into the its territory.

"Just wait and see, I'm good at flying, if I do say so myself", he said and grinned. "Accio Firebolt".

He started chanting the same spell over and over again. After a minute had passed by, the roars of the dragon rose, and so did the screams of the humans. She was about to give up on Harry's flying idea when suddenly in front of her was hovering a sleek broomstick. It was streamlined and seemed to be made for equal parts speed and maneuverability.

He mounted the broom without a seconds thought, and it hovering with his feet dangling just over the ground. She looked awkwardly at the broom and despite the danger waiting just on the other side of their hiding place, hesitated in getting on.

Harry looked at her impatiently.

"Well?"

She shifted embarrassedly and looked at him uncertainly.

The problem was that she was afraid of heights, not overly, but the irrational fear was still there, and what was even more embarrassing was that she was part veela. It was shameful for a veela even a part one, to be afraid of heights, it would be the same as being afraid of one's nature. That coupled with the very real fear of the dragon chasing them made the result very frightening.

Harry seemed to sense her hesitation and stretched out an arm and smiled encouragingly.

"Don't worry. As I said, I'm very good at this", he said and smiled at her.

A moment of indecision was swept away by a roar, this time significantly closer, and the sudden urge to believe him. She reached forth and grasped his hand and was hoisted up behind him, and she quickly wrapped her arms tightly around his midriff when they suddenly soared through the air, the wind whipping at their faces.

She swore she could hear him chuckle, and she quickly decided that 'proper' retribution was in order, should they get out of this mess alive.

"Hold on, I'm going to have to fly around the dragon", Harry said, and he swerved around the dragon, flying calmly, so as not to draw the attention to them and they had almost reached the other side of the raging dragon when suddenly it whirled around and it's malevolent orbs focused on them, though she was certain it was only her.

A loud roar resounded across the grounds, and she couldn't help but shiver in fright. However they weren't moving closer to the castle, so she dared a peak at Harry.

His face was set in grim folds, and was staring, with a resigned look on his face, at the dragon.

"'Arry, what are we doing?", she inquired the tremble in her voice returning full force.

"Before we could have simply escaped if it hadn't noticed us. However it did, and since it did it would only be more dangerous for us and everybody else if we went to the castle. We'll have to lose it somehow", he said in a grim tone, his shoulders sagging slightly. "If we can shake it off, and make it lose sight of us then I can get us away."

He turned his head to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, but if I put you down now it would make you a perfect target for it. You'll just have to trust me. I can shake it off, I know it. You just hang tight; you don't have to do anything."

"No, this is my responsibility, so I will help you", she replied in a firm tone, sounding more sure than she felt, though let it never be said that Fleur Delacour ran from her responsibility. As if to show that she meant what she said, she further tightened her hold on him, and felt him relax slightly, despite her strong hold.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Well, here goes nothing."

Surprisingly enough he flew closer to the dragon, and dove under one of his claws, which sliced through the air no less than a couple of feet above them. She sent a shower of sparks at the dragon, to draw its attention from the injured people on the ground below. They would need medical attention as soon as possible if they were to have a hope of survival.

Her plan worked, and a shiver ran through her as the gaze of the giant beast rested on her, and the growl rising from the throat of the dragon certainly didn't help matters.

Flames suddenly erupted from it maw, springing towards at dazzling speeds, however quick thinking and an even more impressive burst of speed, coupled with maneuverability from Harry, got both of them out of harm's way quickly, and he hurried to put a little distance between them and the dragon, flying over the Hogwarts grounds.

The enraged dragon gave chase, and flew after them at speeds rivaling even that of Harry broom.

"'Arry, it's getting closer", she shouted.

"I can hear it", he replied and just before it barreled into them he made a steep forward tilt, flying towards the ground at breaknecks speed, but quickly put the broom on the right course again. She could make out an old bridge in the a few hundred yards away. Even from a distance one could see that it was ravaged by time and hadn't seen any use for at least a hundred years.

"Bloody hell, you're as light as a feather, it's like it's only me on this broom", he muttered, as they got within a few yards of small hole in the bridge.

She could hear the dragon approaching again, but they made it through the ornamental hole. Despite being a slim species, the dragon however wasn't as lucky, and didn't make it through, though it would only hold it back a couple of seconds, however those seconds made all the difference.

A large piece of stone had been jarred loose from the bridge when the dragon rammed into it, and it wasn't hurt by that collision, it definitely would be by the large stone falling down on its back, hitting a piece of its wing.

The stone however also made it possible for the dragon to wrest itself free with a pained roar, however it immediately slumped on the ground, drawing its limbs closer together.

Harry circled a bit above it before he landed on the ground, a good distance from it. She slid of the broom and landed nimbly on her feet, glad to have solid earth under her feet again.

Whining noises were coming from the beast, which seemed to have a broken wing, which was easy to see due to it being bend in a weird angle, and had apparently also injured its front leg.

She stepped a bit closer, but a hand grabbed her arm and she turned to see Harry at the end of it.

"I don't think it's safe to go near it", he said, eyes still fastened on the dragon.

"Oh really 'Arry, what can it possibly do now. It's injured", she said disparingly, having gained a bit of her former courage now that the dragon was down.

His eyes locked onto hers again. "Still… I think we should wait on someone who can deal with this", he said, eyes settled on the dragon again.

"I think we just did", she snorted, but couldn't help but smile as she heard him chuckle and mutter a 'true'.

She stepped a bit closer, and ignored the warnings Harry was shouting at her.

The dragon just looked at her for a while, as if assessing her. Then out of nowhere the huge beast in front of her let loose torrents of flame from its maw again, and it was all she could do to bring up a shield charm in time, one that was already weakening.

Then just as suddenly the pressure almost completely disappeared, and she saw a focused Harry holding back the dragon's flames with his own shield charm, though she quickly noticed the perspiration already beginning to dribble down his face after he'd held it for only a few seconds. He was working hard to maintain it, and she quickly put up her own so as to split the toll it would take on whoever maintained the charm.

Thankfully the fire soon stopped, as not even the dragon could go on endlessly, and Harry's arm dropped to his side, and she found her own body mirroring his example. Both were panting heavily, and they took a wary step back. She glanced at his, and could see how tired he was already, and she had to admit that she felt no better.

His fatigued eyes widened in horror, and he pushed her roughly, making her fall on the ground. Due to her impact with the ground, she didn't hear the tearing sound, nor did she see the look of agony on his face, which was soon replaced with a numb one.

"'Arry, what do you think you're…", but then she looked up and noticed the blank look in his face. "'Arry, what is wrong? 'Arry? 'Arry!"

He fell to his knees and it was only just now that she saw the growing pool of blood beneath him. He fell down face first on the ground, finally showing the reason for his current state.

The wound wasn't deep, but long and more blood was pouring from it by the second.

Her eyes widened in realization, and tears started came unbidden to her eyes, and fell down her cheeks. The tail of the dragon caught her eyes, and the sheen of blood on it confirmed her fears. She'd only considered it important to stay out of range of its legs; she hadn't even considered its tail.

'He saw… saw it coming… But he still pushed me out of the way. He… saved me. And now… he is… dying', her mind railed at her, tears falling more rapidly down her cheeks now.

Sobs wracked her body as she slumped down and pulled him to her, gently stroking his blood-matted hair, ignoring the stains it produced on her own clothes, as well as the dragon which held an air of satisfaction, as it stood still. Not taking any further action for the moment.

He was dying… for her.

The dragon clumsily rose despite its injures, and was currently just staring at them, surveying her and Harry with its left front leg tucked up beneath its bulk. Watching her leak tears from her already puffy red eyes and she stroked his hair, uncaring of the blood soaking her hands.

She tore her eyes from Harry and focused it on the giant reptile and even as she looked it started to awkwardly walk forward, solely using three legs; making its approach slow and cumbersome.

She couldn't understand it. Couldn't understand him. Why would he do it? By all right and means they were opponents, not meant to help each other. But he had taken a deadly blow in her place.

The beast was closer now and she could feel the pulses that ran through the ground with each limping step it made towards, jolting her out of her thoughts.

Fury welled in her, a primal urge to revenge, to hurt coming forth.

It felt as if the walls of a dam broke, and she was filled with power. But it wasn't magic, this was primal instinctual knowledge, a power residing in her blood.

She knew what it was immediately. It was her heritage, her birthright; it was her Veela powers fully unveiled, fully released.

Never had she delved into her blood heritage, she had only ever only learned the Veela fire and only regularly used her Allure, the famed Veela Aura and the aura she put out now was exactly like that, only many times stronger.

She had to direct it at something, and luckily something was nearby, something she hated with a vengeance.

The dragon had stopped less than ten feet from her, curious as to the sudden surge of primal power, however tempered with something silky and sweet.

It had an instant effect. In her rage and hysteria she wielded an until now unprecedented amount of control over her blood heritage, which caused the beast to stop it's trek forth completely, to shake its massive head back and forth as if to shake of the influence it was put under.

She would not give it a chance. She drew more deeply on her powers, accepting and embracing her Veela side fully. Her aura was like a halo around her and she focused it on the beast before her. She however didn't know what she was doing, but couldn't help but sigh in relief as the dragon yawned and slumped unceremoniously on the ground despite several broken appendages. It was fast asleep before it hit the ground.

She sent a shower of red sparks into the air, hoping to draw the attention of someone.

Her aura receded, and with it left her consciousness and the last thing she saw before her world plunged into darkness and exhaustion claimed her was Harry's face growing ever paler.

DB -

He groaned and tried to sit up. However, that seemed unlikely since he barely had enough strength to lift his head. He managed no more than a twitch in his legs and arms.

Luckily he didn't feel any pain. Apparently someone had got to Fleur and him in time. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth but no sound came out but groans. His throat and mouth was parched.

A cough left him, and this started a chainreaction. The pain that had been wondrously absent until now started, and it struck with a vengeance. It was excruciating, and all the pain centered across his back. It was felt as if his back was aflame, and he shook his head wildly from side to side.

He felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder, but could not focus on the face in front of him.

But the silvery blonde hair did look familiar. Then unconsciousness tore him from the world of the waking.

He had recognized the hair, and the only thing he managed to croak out was.

"Fleur."

… **Several hours later**

His eyes again opened, and in contrast to last time, he could feel every single inch of his back torment him with regular pulses of pain.

He felt the same pressure on his arm and turned his head slightly. Resting on his arm was Fleur, her silvery blonde hair arranged neatly and flowing over her shoulders. Although admittedly, he'd never seen it in disarray, and had to grudgingly admit that she might somehow use some sort of magic to keep it like that, and if that was the case then he had lost a bet to a snotty-nosed Ravenclaw.

But then again, maybe he could strike a deal with her, see if he could make her muzz up her hair once or twice in public, then it would be him who would win the bet, and then he would be the one laughing, not that little rat from Ravenclaw.

Oh yes, he could already imagine it, him casually pointed out the definite proof, and the second year being forced to acknowledge him as his better.

Mirth bubbled in his chest, though he tried to keep it to a minimum, one dose of extreme pain a day was enough. As he looked at her, her eyes fluttered open and stared at him sleepily for a couple of seconds before she leapt up out of her chair.

"'Arry, you are awake", she said in a high voice, concern radiating from her it.

He smiled but nodded, feeling strangely at ease with her, despite never really having spent any sort of time with her, nor having any sort of conversation with her, at least not real ones.

"How do you feel?" she asked and sat down in the chair she had just vacated.

He opened his mouth to reply, but found that it was still very parched, and no sound passed his lips. He weakly lifted his hand and made motions of him drinking to convey his need. Luckily he seemed to have regained some of his strength. Fleur however quickly caught on and hurried to a stone basin in the room, and dipped a newly conjured glass into the basin to scoop up a bit of cool water.

She hurried back to the bedside and upon seeing his futile attempt to claim the glass, gently swept his hand aside and helped him to sit up comfortably to the headboard. She took a seat beside him and gently put the glass to his lips and seemed to be quite amused by his indignant look when she placed the glass to lips, but he nonetheless quickly acquiesced.

The first gulp just seemed to open the floodgates of his thirst, and after quickly finishing the glass with as much dignity as he could while currently being helped by Fleur, and soon enough she had to get him another glass. He could already feel his body stirring, revitalized by the cool water.

"Thank you", he said in a battered, wheezy voice, although he could easily admit it beat not being able to talk at all.

"It was the least I could do", she said mildly and helped him lie down again, and she sat down in the chair again.

Taking a few deep breaths, he turned his head to look her in the eyes, and he could honestly understand why people could get lost in those almost unnaturally clear blue eyes.

"I'm glad you are alright Fleur. That big lizard almost got us", he chuckled, or at least hoped it was a chuckle, as it might just have come out as a big wheeze, the situation taken in regard.

Apparently this proved to be the wrong thing to say as it caused her face to go through a plethora of emotions, finally settling on anger and jumping up again her voice high-pitched.

"Alright? You think I am alright? I was so worried about you. You almost died."

"I am sorry", he said weakly. He was a bit nervous but he still kept eye contact with her.

"You better be, you silly little man. How dare you throw yourself in front of me like that. Have you any idea how scared I was. You almost died. Never do that again, c'est compris?", at the end of her little tirade which had become increasingly tinged with French, and after Harry had shrunken a little further down into his bed, she seemed to deflate, and abruptly plumped down in her chair again and shuddered.

"It was so scary. It was the first time I have ever been so close to dying", she said quietly.

"At least we did survive, that must mean something", he said cheerfully as possible, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled at her and got a small one in return.

He felt more comfortable than he had been in a long time, much more at ease, despite once again being in the hospital wing. However if he were to be honest with himself it had sort of become his second home, and in Madam Pomfreys absence Fleur took it upon herself to act as nurse and told him in no uncertain terms were he to leave the hospital bed and he had quickly grown morose at the prospect of staring at the wall for several days.

Though he was pleasantly surprised when Fleur had decided to stay with him, and they had a long conversation. One in which he learned about her as a person, and not only as an opponent in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

She had a little sister whom she loved dearly; her sister and she lived in a small castle in southern France along with their parents. Both her mother and father were important people, though in completely different circles. Her mother was a Veela ambassador of sorts to the French nation, whereas their father was the head of the Magical Law Enforcement, the Corps Légal. Though she seemed reluctant to go further into details about them, as if it wasn't an enjoyable topic, and he willingly let himself be taken away from that topic. She was in her final year at Beauxbaton, so after this year she would officially be done with her elementary magical education, and he had to admit it was a glorious way to end it, to which she just laughed.

He had also enquired as to how she would juggle both the Tri-Wizard Tournament as well as the final exams, but it seemed his worry had been for naught, as she had just explained that Beauxbaton students had their graduation exams in their sixth year. The seventh was actually more meant as a more individual-dependant year, where one sought out one's own ideas, to help the students about career choices, and the classes needed to get there.

It was in short just a free year of sorts, but hobbies were sparse so she spent a lot of time with her sister and friends as possible.

The chit-chatted back and forth for a while, before he put the question forth he had wanted to for a while.

"So, has anyone come to visit me?"

Fleur looked thoughtful for a minute. "No 'Arry, there has not. That brown-haired girl came by, but she left when she saw me", she said in a strangely even tone, apparently unclear on how he would react.

A frown creased his forehead, and then his face lighted up in a smile. "But at least you came to visit poor little injured me, and you practically saved my life. More than once actually, seeing as I would be unable to guarantee that I could survive being cooped up in here alone."

A small smile again played on her lips.

"'Arry, I think you should know that you still have to do the first challenge. You are the only one who needs to complete it."

"But at least I have a little time to get ready for it this time", he sighed. "I at least hope they'll be more careful with the dragons from now on", he said unaware that Fleur was growing more somber by every word.

"I will probably still have to go up against the Horntail", he reasoned, and couldn't help but shudder. "And she seems to be the most aggressive of them all."

He really hoped she would not get loose as well, _that_ would prove disastrous.

Fleur had lowered her head, her hair shadowing her features. Harry however did not notice her hands going completely white as she gripped the arm leans tightly.

"Do you think I would be able to use my broom again? Nah, it would not be nearly as stylish, though it would be a bit…"

Even though it was barely above a whisper Harry easily picked up on it.

"Why?", Fleur asked in a strangely vulnerable tone.

"Why what?", Harry responded, a bit confused.

She suddenly tilted her head upwards, allowing Harry to see the fresh tears traveling down her cheeks.

He had never thought he would see this young woman so vulnerable, it was a shock to say the least and as he looked on, outrage at his cluelessness bloomed on her face.

"You know what! Why did you push me out of the way?", she thundered, drawing on the anger now fuelling her.

His eyes bugged out, before calmly looking at her, or at least tried to.

"I honestly do not know why I did it. I was not thinking. But if I had not then you would have died, and you have to agree with me that being alive is better than being dead, at least all I got was a small cut", he responded, before looking solemnly at her. "Besides, I would have been sad if you died."

However it didn't seem to do the job of reassuring her.

"Besides if I had not done it I would not have had this chance to get to know you, and be graced with your delightful company", he chuckled. "Furthermore, what kind of gentleman would I be if I had not swept you off your feet", he said in good humor.

She giggled and seemed to, at least for the moment; accept it and they lapsed into a peaceful silence. Then Fleur perked up again and fixed him with a stare. Apparently he was never fully in a safe zone with Fleur, but then again, it paid to keep wary.

"Why would it have been sad if I had died, I am your opponent after all", she enquired.

Harry in disbelief at her. "Just because you're my opponent does not mean that I want you dead. That would be cowardly of me".

Fleur had the decency to look a bit ashamed, but she still pushed on.

"But why would it have been sad?"

Harry deflated a bit and again looked deeply in her eyes.

"It would be sad because you're the only one in this competition that I respect".

"So it is not because I am pretty?", she asked uncertainly.

"Yes, you are pretty, beautiful would probably be a better word", at this point Fleur stiffened, but relaxed when Harry spoke again. "But you are also so much more are you not? I respect you, not because you want to prove that you are better than people think, but because you only strive to prove this to yourself".

"Thank you 'Arry", she said quietly, and then she adopted a more formal stance. "You have saved my life, so I owe you a debt. How would you like to have it repaid?"

"There is no need, really I am glad I did", Harry responded not sure what to make of her way too formal words, as he weakly waved his hands in front of him.

"I do not want this to hang over me", she said a bit forcefully.

He scratched his chin in thought, then brightened up.

"Well, technically I am pretty sure you also saved my life, but I doubt that changes anything for you. So how about this…", he offered a disarming smile. "We just spend some time together getting to know each other. Nothing much, you do not have to go out of your way. Besides I am not that much of a fan of cashing in these debts", he said and shrugged.

A smile lit up her face, making her, if possible, even more stunning. "Thank you 'Arry, I will be glad to get to know you better".

"Yea, and I bet it doesn't hurt that I am a dashing young bloke either", he said with a glitter in his eyes.

She just giggled again, and a new conversation broke out, only once it was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey coming by to check up on him and administer him a couple of potions. She then she scampered back into her office again, leaving with the parting remark that he better stay in bed or else and not to strain or overexert himself.

"So how was your first time?", he asked a wolfish grin, which only grew bigger when she blushed.

"'Arry! What are you saying? I have not… what I mean is, I have never", she was however stopped by Harry's laughing.

He snickered. "Calm down there Fleur, I was just talking about flying on a broom, though I am pleased you feel comfortable enough to share such a private thing with me", he said enjoying every second of it. After all how many people could honestly say they had made a veela, even a part one, blush so profusely, and actually stuttering out of embarrassment.

She calmed down somewhat, and mumbled something under her breath, the brightened up considerably. "But it was a wonderful feeling", she snorted. "Although the dragon trying to kill us was a major deterrent on the fun scale. Though it feels weird to have ridden on nothing more than a big stick, but that may be my veela side talking, you know the part about the birds."

He giggled inwardly. She was almost making this way too easy, and he was going to capitalize on it

"I see", his grin became even more diabolical if possible. "I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed your first ride on my stick."

At hearing this, her creamy complexion was long gone, leaving behind a Fleur with bright red cheeks who was stuttering incomprehensibly.

A few minutes later Fleur had managed to get herself together again, though her cheeks were still red and she seemed a bit annoyed at herself for falling prey to such comments, when she had been surrounded by them since she entered teenage-hood.

That little interaction had clearly gone to Harry, but he didn't like the glint she had in her eyes now. It spoke of retribution, and despite his new found confidence, he realized that if she sought payback of similar kind, then he would be in for it.

While he had cheek, and was no newcomer when it came to these exchanges, she was without a doubt even more well-versed than he was in these games. She was the incarnation of sex, seduction and supernatural beauty, and he feared she would easily be able to make a fool of him should she choose to.

He would need to change the subject and quickly before she became too entranced in her wicked ideas.

"How long have I been cooped up in here anyway? Half a day?", he enquired optimistically, drawing a half-confused stare from Fleur, and it beat the glint that had been in her eyes moments ago.

Unexplainably Madam Pomfrey had not told him anything of his condition; she on the other hand had seemed quite flustered. But Fleur had been friendly enough to remedy that fact.

Apparently his spine had been close to being severed, he had suffered a significant loss of blood. He had been admitted to the hospital wing, while his back reknitted itself and his blood replenished, and also to deal with any possible infections.

"'Arry you have been in here for three and half day. But madame Pomfrey told me that most of the healing happened while you were asleep, and you should probably be out of here in another two days."

Harry's brow furrowed in thought. "Three and a half day huh? That is quite a bit of time. Well no need to worry. That still leaves me with some and four days to get ready. Oh that reminds me," he said sheepishly. "Sorry about not asking sooner, how did it go with your challenge? How did they tally up your score?"

She beamed at him. "Well they only evaluated it on the original objective, so they could only give me so many points. So I got off with 47 points out of fifty possible. Which places me first, and Krum second with 43 points and Diggory last with 42 points."

"That's great Fleur, congratulations", Harry enthused.

"They didn't give you any points, and the only reason me and so many others are alive is only thanks to you", she had an apologetic tone in her voice.

"No need to worry about it, at least I still _have_ a chance to score some points."

Silence reigned for a while, but it was a comfortable one, and he was loath to break it, but it needed to be said.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping me occupied. For spending some time with me. My friends appear to have more important things to do", he said, and a sad look crossed his face, but was quickly replaced by a wry grin. "Heh, just goes to show how great I am at picking them. Maybe I should just let them pick me. You for example. We only just started talking a few hours ago, but I've enjoyed that as much, maybe even more than talking with them."

He turned his head and stared out the window, looking at the Hogwarts students, intermingling with a few Durmstrang and Beauxbaton among them, though for the most part all three schools kept mostly to their own.

"'Arry," he turned back to look at Fleur who had an almost tender look on her face. "You know, when you think about it, we are actually quite similar."

She turned and gestured at the students bustling about, Durmstrang, Beauxbaton and Hoghwarts alike. "All these people do not understand what it feels like to stand out. They long for fame, fortune and adventure, to gain respect. They do not understand how hard it can be to be at the center of all that attention. I may not understand your situation, but I can relate". She turned back around to him. "And 'Arry, you might as well work with all that you have got and that includes your fame. Not point in trying to deny it; you should enjoy life however you can."

He turned, raising himself slightly looking over the school grounds, towards the lake, which was sparkling in the afternoon sun. The only thing ruining the picture was the Durmstrang ship floating in place in the middle of the lake.

"Yea, I guess you are right", he said after a bit, turning away from the window. "It actually feels comfortable to know, and I've decided that I might as well become who I want to be, not what others want me to be."

She turned back to him, a brief understanding smile playing on her lips.

"So 'Arry, I was wondering if you could teach me flying", she said cheerily and plumped down in the chair next to his bed again, doing so in such as manner meant to accentuate her long slender legs.

Which he duly and thoroughly noted. "Sure I would love to", a sinister smirk grazed his features. "If you tell me what the next task is about."

The frown on her face was quickly replaced by a wide smile, easily as sinister as his. "I am sorry 'Arry, but I cannot help you. I am… what is it called… oh yea, I am playing to win. So I cannot do that", she said, feigning apologetic gestures.

"Curses, foiled. But I had to give it a try", he sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Then I will just have to settle for you spending a day with me in Hogsmeade, next time such a weekend rolls by." His shoulders sagged even more, as if he was disappointed over not getting what he wanted the most.

Her eyes took on a gleam. "Are you asking me out on a date monsieur Potter?", she asked slyly.

He tried to look exasperated. "I would prefer to call it an outing of acquaintances. I would like to get to know my fellow Champion."

"Then we should invite monsieur Diggory and monsieur Krum as well", she said teasingly.

He quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Gods no", he said in a mock-impatient tone. "Forget about those crude barbarians. Let them play in the mud or whatever it is they do."

She laughed. "Very well Monsieur Potter, it shall only be the two of us."

"I knew you would fall prey to my dashing good looks eventually, alas that it the fate of every fair maiden", he fake-sighed, and winked at her, causing her to have another fit of laughter.

He felt at ease. This was a lovely way to spend one's time, injured or not. He just reclined in his bed, exchanging chatter with his companion, when he suddenly felt as if a warm blanket was placed on him, coating him. Every part of his body felt tingly, and small shivers ran up and down his spine, causing a pleasurable peaceful sensation to permeate his body.

He turned to face Fleur, who had a positively expectant look on her face. He decided to remain sitting, and relax, and simply just enjoy this feeling. Although resting his hand on her cheek did seem enticing, but he restrained himself.

A confused look settled on her face, and she hesitatingly opened her mouth. "'Arry do you feel any different?"

"Yea, a bit warm and fuzzy, as well as a bit tingly. You know a good feeling", he said. He wasn't going to tell her that he wanted to touch her face that was for sure, though he briefly wondered why he volunteered that piece of information. "Why are you asking", he enquired curiously.

"Nothing, just noticed that you seemed to relax a bit", she said shrugging her shoulders, but still kept a sharp eye on him. "Just wondered why."

Suddenly he felt the warm tingly sensation leave. It was weird; suddenly it was there and then just as suddenly it was gone. It felt a bit strange without it. But it was probably a side effect of one of those potions he had taken.

"'Arry, what happened?", she asked with curiosity, upon noticing his visible frown.

"Oh yea… well the fuzzy feeling disappeared. Too bad, it felt comfortable and peaceful."

Even before he had finished his sentence, Fleur gracefully rose from her seat, and almost ran out the hospital wing. However before she reached the door, she turned about and smiled at him.

"Remember you have to teach me how to fly", she said with a wink. "Who knows, sometimes I am a horrible student. So I might need a more hands on approach from you."

Harry's cheeks became a little red, the first time that evening, though it was barely noticeable, but apparently Fleur had picked up on it, because a smirk was now on her face, and a triumphant gleam was in her eyes.

But that didn't stop him from responding.

"Yes, well I do not mind getting my hands dirty", at this he adopted a more predatory grin. "you should also remember Hogsmeade. Dress casual", here he purposely let his eyes roam over her body before settling on her eyes again. "Yes, casual should do nicely."

He laughed as she once again colored slightly, but soon enough she joined him in laughing.

"I will see you later 'Arry", she said before striding out of the hospital wing.

"Yes, see you".

* * *

AN: I hope I managed to intrigue you with this teaser, and again feedback would be more than welcome.

Regards,

-Beetledude


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Harry Potter, only the original characters and concepts are my property.

AN: Some reviewers mentioned that some points seemed very fragmented, and there is a reason behind this. I mainly just wrote in the beginning, without bothering to divide them into chapters, and so I suddenly found myself with over 110.000+ words of writing. The only distribution of chapter importance lay in the scene breaks. Furthermore, I forgot to mention in the prologue that this story will be a Dark!Evil!Harry, not a he will replace Voldemort or anything of the sort. You are warned.

Furthermore I think I should warn that this chapter and many following will include the concept of 'slave-bond', and it will be a long term plot surprise, so before you start despairing and cursing the story, you should know that I myself am very critical of Veela bonds and slavebonds, and where I could easily dismiss the former, the latter was a very valid possibility, so I decided to address this concept in my own way, to sort of balance out for all the poor story that has been written. Also keep in mind that all is not as it appears, nor set in stone.

* * *

Chapter 1:

She practically raced through the corridors, leaving behind Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students, giving none of them any attention. Her mind was too preoccupied for that, with thoughts flying around.

She had heard of people immune to the veela charm, although those people were extremely rare, about as rare as they could be. But she had never heard of a person who could feel the veela charm but still resist it. It was unheard of, either you were immune and felt no pull whatsoever or you were effected and people would follow your every lead. It had been so since time immemorial, but somehow she had stumbled upon this unique individual who could feel her charm, but still retain his mind and independence around her, it was mind boggling to her. She had known there was a chance she would meet a person immune to her veela charm, but that chance was small to non-existent.

But even meeting this unique person, to feel the Veela charm and still be able to brush it off so easily, almost unconsciously, but he had not even brushed it off, he enshrouded himself in it, somehow used it for his own comfort. What made it even harder to believe was that he was three years her junior and he should be in the middle of puberty, with hormones running rampant through his body, making him even more susceptible to her aura, or at least it should have.

Then there was also the attraction. Until he had woken up it had just been that general attraction, or perhaps more a common attraction of the more uncommon kind. Despite him being three years her younger, she had still felt a pull towards him, though she had to disguise it, she was after all the pride of the Beauxbaton, and she had an image to uphold. But the pull was still there, and having saved her life had not exactly lessened it. But what was unusual about this attraction was that it had just been the usual attraction, although she had been loath to admit she was interested in a boy three years her junior, but that attraction had changed, drastically at that. Now it was heavily tinged with something not quite so innocent.

She had never felt this kind of pull before. She was always the one using men around her, winding them around her fingers to get what she wanted, never was she the one entranced. It was a long time since she had been introduced to the world of sexual comments, and what he had said was nothing new to her, it was actually quite a bad attempt at it, but it struck a chord, and she couldn't help but admit it was a lovely chord. She felt the urge to envelop him in her arms, trace her fingers down his side, inching closer and closer to her prize, grinding herself into his body trailing lingering kisses along his jaw…

She quickly shook her head. Those kinds of thoughts would have to wait for a better time.

Harry had changed; he was different when he came to. Granted, she hadn't known him for very long, but still the Harry Potter she had met on the day their names had been chosen by the Goblet of Fire had not been nearly as confident. It had seemed to him as if the whole world had been weighing him down. But the change from then to now was very much significant.

'Nor had he been as flirtatious', she thought with a grin.

The maturity was part of what intrigued her the most. He might be fourteen years old, but she could see in her eyes that he had never really been a child; it seemed as if maturity was grafted into him. Sometimes when you looked into his green eyes he seemed like an age old man, with all the emotional weight as well. The next moment he was back to normal, but one thing never changed. He always seemed so alone.

She had seen how the school had treated him these last couple of months, and it was definitely not a welcome sight. He always persevered, but he never thrived, he had not been comfortable with the spotlight, had never sought it out.

She stepped out through the great doors and entered the Hogwarts grounds.

All these things were flying through her mind, it was one big chaotic jumble, but it was also all focused on one thing.

How he had changed after the first task. The sexual appeal, the bold behavior, everything. Was it purely coincidence that all this had happened after she for the first time had tenuously grasped her full potential and pulled out her power at its maximum?

It was possible, but highly unlikely.

Her eyes widened, disbelief written within.

It had never happened before, but it explained everything.

She shook her head again. Jumping to conclusions wouldn't help matters. No, she would have to do a bit of research before she could be completely sure.

She stopped in front of the Beauxbatons carriage, where headmistress Olympe resided during their stay there. Unlike the students of the French magic academy the headmaster or headmistress could choose to remain in their chosen methods of travel. Usually this also applied to the students; however Olympe had stressed that this tournament was to create better relations between all the participant nations represented. So the Beauxbaton students had been holed up with the Ravenclaw house since their arrival, and as a result they got well enough on with those students, but it seemed to be mostly out of necessity. The Durmstrang students had chosen to remain aboard their ship and they only truly mingled with the Slytherin students, as they were similar to themselves.

However her reason for going to this carriage was not to visit their headmistress, but to pick up a couple of books, as she had a theory on what the next task might be.

Madame Pomfrey had been working overtime to deal with all the damages the implicated people had sustained, and to Fleur's surprise, not many people were badly hurt, and those that were had been taken to St. Mungo's immediately, and because of that she had been the person staying the hospital with the worst injury, if you didn't take Harry into consideration. She had been lucky that she had not been hit by the dragons flame directly and that she had only been scolded by the heat generated and thanks to Madam Pomfrey's superb healing skills her burn had been handled in a cinch. No, Harry had been the one with mortal injuries, and for some reason Dumbledore had refused to have him transferred to St. Mungo's, but luckily it seemed he would make a full recovery.

Madam Pomfrey was also the catalyst that had set her on this private quest of hers, and had her doing this research. She had seen how the school nurse had been acting towards Harry when he had awoken, she had been giddy, almost like how she affected men, but somehow different.

She needed to know, she needed knowledge, which was the second reason she was there. The Beauxbaton carriage had a built in library, and it was an exact copy of the one at their school. It was mostly to present the prestige of Beauxbaton, and it worked pretty damn well, but now it would serve a good purpose, at least for her.

She pushed open the doors of the carriage and left behind the rapidly darkening school ground and emerged in a large, well-lit and warm entrance hall. It was well-furnished, extremely classy, as was befitting of Beauxbatons as the headmistress had told them.

It was completely devoid of life, no students anywhere, though she knew with certainty that unless the headmistress was talking with Dumbledore then she would be here somewhere. But she had not come for Miss Olympe.

She strode purposefully across the hall, making for one of the side doors. Her steps resounded throughout the hall.

Pushing open two surprisingly light doors, she walked into what could be called a piece of art, consisting of books, bookshelves, tapestries and tables. Everything you would expect in a library, except somehow it was just more. More glamorous, more awe-inspiring, and she had felt a bit cowed the first time she walked into the library at their school in France, knowing that the knowledge of thousands of people, gathered over a thousand years was here.

However right now it was just a tool, a means to an end. She wandered down a row, weaving in between the bookcases, pressing towards her goal. This library was an exact replica of the one they had at their school, it was a perfect copy down to the last book. It was a beautiful spell that no one alive could explain. It was sort of like the Sorting Hat's equivalent. This carriage was made by the three founders of Beauxbaton, and it was made in the first couple of years of the schools life. The spell affected not only the library, but also the dining hall, sleeping chambers and other similar rooms, and it was always updating itself, always remaining a perfect replica of those specific locations. It was to make traveling as homely as possible, despite the fact that they might be halfway across the globe. Unfortunately it had only been in use three times the last six hundred years.

Many of the professors had spent more than a few years of their lifetime trying to figure that spell out, and the only thing standing between them and their goal, was the little conundrum that no magic could be detected. Oh, the carriage was no doubt magical, but after having scoured the wagon several hundred times, they had been unable to find a trace of magic, much less an anchoring point for the spells.

The fact that it was made to replicate the library was a good thing, since she now knew exactly where the books she sought was, and it was also why she was standing in front of an eerily familiar bookcase.

She hesitated only briefly before steeling herself and quickly grabbing a select few books.

She had already read all of them in a desperate try to understand her heritage, and the power that came with it.

She scanned the titles.

'Creatures of Passion', 'Foundations of Desire', 'Seeds of Lust', all three titles were extraordinarily unimaginative. But the titles did nothing to betray the knowledge and theories hidden within. If any of the books in this library held the answers she was looking for, it would be one of these, if only just hints and abstract theories.

She quickly shrunk the three books and stowed them away in her breast pocket. She turned on her heel and made her to the catalogue pillar in the middle of the library, she still one more book. The Catalogue Pillar was a most wonderful invention, and it made perusing the library for the texts you needed much easier. You only had to inform it of what you sought, and the book would be automatically brought to you. As she reached the pillar she quickly tapped it once with her wand.

"Magical Languages and Translation Spells", she said clearly.

The air in front of her glowed white briefly and when the light faded the book she had requested was there. They had worked with this book briefly in their fifth year, and she had used it as a reference guide during the time, and later one when learning a bit about her heritage. She grabbed the book, shrunk it as well and put it with the other three, before turning and making her way down one of the aisles, to the exit of the library, as she wanted to get back to the Ravenclaw tower as quickly as possible.

When she swung open the feather light double doors again, she was greeted by the sight of Olympe, standing in the middle of hall staring at her with unreadable eyes, arms crossed over her massive bulk of a chest.

"Fleur, my dear, it has been a couple of days since I have seen you", she said in a sickly sweet voice. "Where have you been?"

Fleur raised her chin slightly, she knew this woman was furious at not having her precious Champion around, and had she not been her father's daughters then she would probably have shown more restraint.

But also, being her father's daughter gave her a lot of leeway. She was used to a certain measure of respect, and it all reflected in her personality. She had been called pompous by people before, mainly women and girls, as men would never dare to insult, lest they make a bad impression. That didn't mean she was a spoilt brat, but she was used to getting what she wanted by any means necessary. This of course might, and did indeed, give the image that she was dependent on her father, unfortunately for those few who believed that, they soon discovered how well she could handle herself. Her mother had always warned her to keep her anger in check, as she had a frighteningly sharp tongue if irritated.

"I have been at the Hogwarts infirmary", she said evenly, keeping herself in check, but still getting her point across. Olympe had been practically fawning over her since she had been chosen as the Beauxbaton Champion, and it was only getting worse.

Olympe's eyes widened. "You are not hurt, are you dear?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I was waiting for Harry to wake." She fought the urge to sigh at the headmistress' confused expression.

Clearly she didn't know who she was talking about, which was fairly weird. So Fleur decided clarification was in order.

"Harry Potter, the second Tri-Wizard Champion from Hogwarts. He was hurt rather badly, so I stayed at the infirmary till he awoke", she said coolly, and made to leave.

"That wretched English cheater? You should not concern yourself with the likes of him. He will be lucky if he even survives the first challenge", she snorted, in a very unladylike manner.

Fleur stopped suddenly, halfway to the front doors, and turned around. Her eyes no longer just cool but having a distinct icy quality to them.

"He saved my life; I believe that would make him out to be a bit better than a wretch, and as for his competence. Well I will be honest, I was the one slowing him down out there, and he would have handled that dragon far more easily had I not been there. So I would be happy you if would stop belittling him", her gaze on the giant woman intensified. "And it is my choice, and my choice only who I associate with."

Her voice rang loud and clear in the spacious entrance hall, and hints of resentment could be seen in both her and Olympe's eyes, and Fleur thought for a moment that she may have pushed too hard. But Olympe seemed struck hard by the fact that she was standing up for Harry so fiercely and to be honest, most others would also be, since she had a tendency to let people deal with their own problems. But she relaxed slightly when she saw her nod stiffly.

Olympe's tone evened out, losing it honey-like quality. "So you spent three days watching a boy who was in a near-death state for the entirety of the first of those days? A boy you do not even know?"

Fleur nodded. "Yes, and now if you will excuse me, I have things to do."

She turned around and calmly strode out the door, but before the doors closed behind her she heard a last comment from Olympe.

"Do not let the boy interfere with your performance in the second task."

Fleur did not respond to the comment and simply closed the door and walked away, out into the almost dark grounds now.

The trip back to the castle was uneventful and not even the, already customary, gaggle of boys following her around was present, but odds were that they weren't aware that she was out and about. After all, she had been in the infirmary the last few days.

The great oaken doors quietly opened to allow her entrance to the castle. A few people were spread about the entrance hall, but apart from a few glares from the females and the not so subtle ogling from the males, they paid her no more heed, as they were far too entranced by what she were, to see what she was doing.

The stairway was quickly overtaken by the limber Beauxbaton Champion, leaving the small crowd behind. Weaving through the corridors she occasionally happened upon a few students, but not many, which that made sense with the curfew almost at the door.

Standing in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower, and after muttering the password to the portrait, she strode into the Ravenclaw common room, where she was immediately assaulted by the pleasant heat from the fireplace.

A few Ravenclaws were still about, mostly doing homework or having quiet conversations. The events and aftermaths of the first task could be seen weighing heavily on most of them; many had friends who had been hurt by the enraged dragon. Many of the Ravenclaws had a somewhat ragged look about them, but it was still far better than the panic that had been gripping most of the student body after the event. The Ravenclaw were by far the most levelheaded of the houses, and it also transferred to the current state of the school.

The Gryffindors tried to put on a brave front, but the cracks were showing. They were far more jumpy than usual. The Hufflepuff were in a sort of organized disorder, which is to say that they supported each other, but they were still unusually fidgety and kept to themselves. But they handled it quite well despite all. The Raveclaw were of course very levelheaded and would quickly have put the matter behind them had it not been for the sake of their injured friends. But they didn't show any significant outward change. The Slytherins were exceptionally giddy, though it only seemed to be because they hadn't suffered any from the rampant dragon, and they were gloating, using any chance they could to bait the other houses and the Beauxbatons.

She could feel the stares directed at her the moment she were inside. They weren't all the stares she was used to. They weren't outright hostile, but neither were they friendly, mostly calculating. They were all judging her, and she could hear the mutters of Harry Potter erupting silently across the common room, followed closely by their French dorm mates. Though it seemed that none of the latter was particularly surprised, at least not more than the event warranted.

But she was not new to attention, and this kind was no different, so she ignored the pointed stares and whisperings. She wouldn't deal with it before one of them confronted her directly. It would be pointless to do so before, on the contrary it would only serve to aggravate matters. Getting preemptive on rumors was hard, unless you could literally stop them before they started.

The Hogwarts castle was the very incarnation of English aloofness, it was an arch-typical picture of an old English castle, but she couldn't deny that it was magical, very much so. The place was saturated with magic. One fine example was the Beauxbaton accommodations in the Ravenclaw tower. Previously there had been eight floors in the Tower, one for each year and the common room. However a new floor had suddenly, magically appeared with enough room for all the French students twice over, and it was the only place in Hogwarts that had even a remote French feel to it. The head of the Ravenclaw was equally surprised about it, but Flitwick had quickly shaken it off and grumbled about castles showing off.

She strode across the room, the eyes of everyone following her, but she was not bothered by it the least. She felt great, better than great, she felt fantastic, strung, taut like the string on a bow. She felt more powerful than ever, but she had no idea why. It had happened with the dragon, she had no idea what exactly happened, but she knew it was part of it.

Hopefully she could find some reference or clue as to what was happening while she was researching the situation with Harry, which intrigued her very much.

She absently raised a hand to her breast pocket, to ensure that the books were still safely tucked away. It wouldn't do to lose them. She was completely sure that if there were an answer to her current project it would be here.

She gracefully ascended the stairs, disregarding everyone in her eagerness to get started with her research. She quickly entered the first door on the left, entering the sleeping and private area of the Beauxbaton, finding most of her fellow French students already there. Many eyes were directed at her upon entry, after all this was unusual behavior from her and they knew it.

She was met by various greetings ranging from friendly to almost outright hostile, but they had nonetheless acknowledged that she was carrying the honor of their school, so people with grudges against her had unofficially put them on hold. They were after all better than these 'english wretches' and those 'bulgarian barbarians', and she was their way of proving it, so they would back her, and show a common front against the foreigners.

She acknowledged the greetings, with a curt nod and a few murmured words here and there, but she quickly retreated to her own bed. She enlarged the books, and tossed the one about magical language on the bedside table absentmindedly. She then made herself comfortable, sitting Indian-style on her bed with the three books lying side by side in front of her.

Trying to determine which of them would hold the answer to her suspicion was a futile task, as she had only read them once long ago, and she could only vaguely remember the contents. So her only choice was to reread them, and hope they held what she was looking for.

She grabbed the book closest to her, 'Creatures of Passion', and opened the old leather-bound tome, carefully running her delicate fingers over the worn pages.

Settling down with her back against the headboard, she set about her self-appointed task with zeal, and was only occasionally disturbed by her fellow students, interested in what she was reading.

That night she fell asleep fully clothed with a book splayed open in front of her.

DB -

Being a Slytherin wasn't all fun and games, the only games a true Slytherin played were mind games, and occasionally politics.

Which was why she was where she was at the moment, digging through her books, gathering a select few in a small pile, and throwing the remaining in a significantly larger pile, a little off to the side. When she got to the last book and dumped in the large pile, and morosely stared the small pile, which was _a lot_ smaller.

Five books, she had five books at her disposal, five measly books to use to get her show rolling, and whatever second rate books she could dig up in the library. Maybe she could find one or two that could be of use in the short term, should her plans go smoothly, but she'd have to order new ones, or get some sent from home, and of the two choices, the former was the best route to brave, since if her plan worked her life in the home front would be severely lacking.

She had applied the shrinking charm to the few books of hers and quickly put them in her pocket. Even though it was common knowledge that these kinds of books often frequented these halls, not many of them were in the same league as two of those she had, and it wouldn't do to be caught with them. So she would need to find a place to dump them where no one would just happen upon them.

As she stared at the last of the more or less useless, for her plan anyway, books, a grunting voice cut into her reverie.

"What are you doing?", she heard as well as fairly felt the footsteps of the large girl nearing her. It could be nothing else as boys were magically kept out of the girl's dorm. Besides only a few people in Slytherin could make that much noise while just walking and only one of those were a girl.

She swept around, whipping out her wand and muttered a quiet 'Cogo'.

The purple bolt barely came to light before it disappeared as it struck the intended target. "Hello, Bullstrode, figure meeting you here", she said in a sweet voice, taking in the semi pained look on the large girls face. The spell she had used was a restricting spell, only a dark variety. It basically just hogtied a person, and at the same time the targets facial muscles, and created slight pains all over the body. It also held the upside to it that it also paralyzed the muscles in the jaw and throat, preventing her from speaking.

She took a small moment to lock her trunk after having tossed all the books back in, and murmured a several locking charms, before turning back to Millicent Bullstrode. "I cannot have you telling anyone about anything you may or may not have seen. So I have to take steps to ensure that you cannot tell anyone… ever." With each word her voice grew chillier and more emotionless, and Millicents eyes grew wider accordingly, terror dominating them.

"What say you Bullstrode? What should I do?", she asked, eyeing the girls discomfort and reactions, and was not surprised to see the girls considerable muscles flex to break the invisible restraints.

"I could of course take the gentle way, and simply oblivate you, but what would be the fun in that? Maybe I should just try to _convince_ you. I think I will try that, and my ways of convincing are infinitely more fun and satisfying than the simple 'Crucio' that Voldemort and his followers use. At least it's more fun for me", she was fingering her wand giddily at the end, her voice taking on an eager quality, having worked herself up a bit.

"Here let me show you. _'Perpes Excorcio Sano'_", she said after making a few intricate wand gestures and pointing her wand at helpless girl, and a sickly orange spell exploded from her wand and hit the girl in the chest.

This spell was considered dark, and with good reason. The spell properties were threefold. Firstly it ripped patches of skin off the victim in random locations, which constituted the pain portion of the spell. Secondly the ripped off patches of skin reattached themselves and healed so it seemed as if nothing had ever happened, or it was now that she had modified it a bit, before there would be a bit of blood, but she had changed the second part of the spell to also constitute a sort of localized cleaning charm that only removed blood, and the second portion only left behind a slight reddening of the skin, and none would notice it other than in the exposed places. But the reason this spell was a torture was because as long as she powered it, it would repeat itself over and over again. The evidence of the spell's effects was visible on the exposed areas of the girl, such as the face and hands.

The only drawback of this spell was that the magic expended was significant, which was why she released the spell after and thirty seconds, and also muttered the counter for her first spell, leaving the large girl convulsing on the floor, though it stopped after a bit.

"So what do you say, should I just obliviate you now that I have had my fun?", she asked in an icy tone, but the girl was unresponsive.

"If you do not answer me, I will simply kill you and dispose of the body", she hissed to the girl who looked upon her with terror-filled eyes. "You should also know that transfiguring a body into something else, really is not that hard. You know I could transfigure you into a footstool, or I could cut you up, and transfigure your limbs into combs and hairbrushes."

She looked at the large girl before her. "On second thought you are too disgusting to touch me. Maybe I should just kill you, and burn your body."

"Please… don't kill me… obliviate me… please", Millicent said in a weak voice.

"How far has the Slytherin house fallen to have cowards and stupid people like you", she sighed, but pointed her wand at the girl and muttered _'Obliviate'_, altering her memories to walking into an empty dorm room, and accidentally tripping over her own feet.

She quickly stowed away her wand in her robe and exited the dorm room before the dazed girl noticed she was there.

However short the session with Bullstrode had been, it had done the job of satisfying her violent streak, at least momentarily. Besides if things worked out, she would get more opportunities very soon, and it made her want to practically giggle.

As she reached the end of the staircase the grin that had been growing on her face was in full bloom, though it held a distinctive edge of wickedness. Complimented by the evil gleam in her eye, it didn't look out of place on her face, it actually seemed very natural.

People became wary and tense when they noticed her 'sunny' disposition, which just caused her grin to grow. None questioned her or hindered her as she gracefully glided across the common room and out through the entrance of the Slytherin accommodations. Though she duly noted the glances of Malfoy and his goons, as well as the stare of her ally, but if things went well, she would no longer need that ally. But, still no point in making unnecessary enemies.

She strode calmly but confidently down the corridors, the last classes ended some hours ago, so even though students wandered in the halls there were few as it was close to curfew, so it was no surprise that she easily avoided running into anyone.

She quickly reached her destination, the library, and hurried to the section where she knew what she sought were, and she couldn't help the pleased grin that threatened to adorn her face, when she found just what she was looking for. A small notebook titled 'Mind Magic'.

This book was a treasure without parallel between the books in this part of the library. As the title implied it centered on the magical, or close to, aspect of the mind. Mainly focusing on Occlumency and Legilimens, though other things such as Obliviate, confounding, and compulsion spells were also included in it, as the book didn't limit mind magic to being only Occlumency and its counter-part, it centered on all aspects of the mind.

All in all, it was a very informative and useful book. She had of course gone through it once, and she could only say that she had benefited greatly from it, and now it would be put to use once again. So she deftly shrunk the book and placed it among the shrunken books.

She resolutely walked towards the restricted section of library, and when Madam Pince opened her mouth to protest, she simply flashed her permission slip, which she had gone to great lengths to acquire, though it had been easy to play their head of house into giving her the permission slip. She only had to play on his bitterness towards Potter and then she could practically lead him about by the nose, if she just kept him off balance, and that was just what she did.

Madam Pince quickly cut off her protests and grudgingly allowed her entry and after a swift ten minute search she only had acquired one book from in there whereas she had hoped for two, but she would take what she could.

Now smuggling books out of the restricted section was a hell of a lot tougher, but by no means impossible. So she cast a few quick charms, among them a confounding charm, meant to disorientate the book, and thereby disrupting the tracking charm on it by making it believe that it was still present in the library, and the other charms were meant to fool the library to believe that the book was still in place. This was of course only a temporary solution, but it would do until she could permanently remove the tracking charms that bound it to the library.

Shrinking the book, she exited the restricted section, only to find a familiar bushy-haired girl sitting at a table nearby. She couldn't help the wicked smile nor resist the chance to ruffle her feathers.

"Hello there Granger", she said when she was right behind the mud-blood, causing said girl to jump in surprise, and whirl about to face the grinning Slytherin.

"What do you want?", the bushy-haired Gryffindor growled.

She just smiled wickedly at the tone. "I am just wondering why you and your boyfriend is not visiting Potter is all", she said nonchalantly.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend", Granger hissed.

"That might be true", she relented. "But you still did not answer my question."

"It is none of your business", the girl replied sullenly.

"Ahh, trouble in paradise, I see. Well that is your own business, I do not want to get caught up in whatever scheme you silly petty people cook up", she said and glided out of the library leaving behind an indignant red-faced Granger.

As soon as she rounded the corner her grin was back full force, as she made her way to her final destination, the infirmary.

The split in the Golden Trio had been apparent, but never had she thought it would be this deep, and it would only work to her advantage with what she had planned. She didn't dare think of the consequences should her plan fail, but she was fairly certain she could provide enough incentive for it to work.

She shed her robe, revealing the white skirt and light blue shirt she was wearing underneath and quickly she placed the shrunken books in pocket in her skirt, and folded and shrunk the robe as well. She did after not want to look like a silly student when the conversation she was about to have was so important.

Wandering into the infirmary, she found to her delight that Madam Pomfrey seemed to have fallen asleep, and a quick _'Globe Silencio'_ formed a bubble of silence around her, ensuring that she wouldn't wake up from the coming conversation, and interfere.

That simply just would not do.

"Hm, the Princess of Slytherin comes to the infirmary, looking her usual foxy self, and makes sure my nurse remains asleep, when she should be back in her common room. But here is the kicker, incidentally the only person in here besides her now, is a teenage boy. It sets a hormonal mind running you know", the voice of Harry Potter suddenly spoke, and she whipped to see him smiling deviously at her.

"Actually this reminds me of a very pleasant dream I had quite a few times actually, though usually you have no clothes on, same goes for me of course. Well you get the gist of it."

He smirked at her.

"Right Daphne?"

DB -

He had noticed straight way when Daphne Greengrass had entered the infirmary, after all, it was a well-known fact that she was considered one of the most desirable girls in Hogwarts, all of it due to her almost unnatural beauty, her sharper than sharp mind, uncanny grace and elegance, the 'something' she had that made her almost irresistible, and to a certain extent her aloofness.

Though Harry could readily say her dirty blonde curly locks, which almost reached the middle of her back, was for some reason an extreme turn on, as was that devilish grin and gleaming eyes.

It was a truly exciting picture, and he felt in the mood for some playful bantering.

"Hm, the Princess of Slytherin comes to the infirmary, looking her usual foxy self, and makes sure my nurse remains asleep, when she should be back in her common room. But here is the kicker, incidentally the only person in here besides her now, is a teenage boy. It sets a hormonal mind running you know", he said a devious smile on his lips as he watched Daphne whip around at the first sound of his voice, her blonde curls whipping about as well. He could guess from her frown, that this wasn't what she expected.

A grin lit up his face at the reaction, he loved startling people. It was a new favorite pastime of his.

"Actually this reminds me of a very pleasant dream I had quite a few times actually. Though usually you do not have any clothes on, same goes for me of course", he couldn't help but smirk at the rosy cheeks of the slightly tanned Slytherin. How she had acquired a tan, and apparently was the only one in Slytherin, he had ever met, to do so, was beyond him.

"Well you get the gist of it".

He smirked at her.

He briefly questioned himself as to why he had suddenly become so daring, where he only a few months before would have trouble even thinking about saying such things, but he shrugged it off due to the simple fact that it simply felt natural.

"Right Daphne?", he teased only to shiver at the look she sent him.

The look wasn't what he had expected, he knew there was a reason she was called the Ice Princess of Slytherin, and a damn good reason it was, he could admit to himself. From what he knew, she had been propositioned by one boy after another, day after day. Sometimes with flowery poems, sometimes with crude suggestions, but she had always remained aloof and cool, and had to his, although admittedly limited knowledge, turned each and every single one down with a glacial insult, that left said unfortunate male with his masculinity shredded.

Most of those would probably have taken their revenge against her, had she not demonstrated what she would do to such people multiple violent times, which somehow ended said people in the hospital wing, with nasty wounds, though those people never told who had done it to them. However, once in a while she had to reassure people why it was that she did not appreciate such attention.

This was why he had ventured such a comment, seeing as he already was in the hospital wing, he might as well take the shot. Besides he had felt exceptionally frisky since Fleur had been here.

Which was why it wasn't surprising when it took an amazing amount of willpower to not run when that selfsame girl fixed you with a smoldering and suggestive look, coupled with the bordering on lecherous grin on her face, which seemed oh so natural.

The gleam in her eyes as she neared him with graceful steps was that of a moth drawn to a flame.

"Potter".

It was not the normal insult every Slytherin threw at him. She purred, she actually purred. But being in the same room as Fleur for the entirety of the day had left him with lots of pent up energy, and he had found a good way to spend it, besides staring into space.

"Daphne", he purred right on back, causing said girl to blink once then lick her lips. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Not that I really mind it. Out of all the things I had imagined I would be doing in here, this was not one of them. Though it beats them all hands down."

She was now at the foot of the bed, and walked up the side, slowly trailing a hand up his leg. This was a bit out of his experience range, but he was not a shy little boy anymore, and he was pretty sure this was just a challenge to discover how far he was willing to go.

Well, let it never be said that he back down from a challenge.

"You want to know a secret Daphne?", he asked as evenly as he could. "What really catches my eye about you?"

Her eyes had been fixed on his face the entire time, even though her hand was now slowly trailing up his outer thigh, and although she didn't say a thing her grey eyes urged him on.

"Your hair", he said simply, and he wasn't lying. She really did have the most beautiful hair in the school. Those lustrous dirty blonde strands of curly hair flowing down in a manner that screamed aristocrat. "It is lovely."

He was almost disappointed when her hand jumped from his thigh to his lower stomach, but the regret was short-lived as he shivered in delight as she her slender hand trailed upwards.

He grabbed her hand when it reached his chest, and held it firmly, but gently. When he touched her, her eyes glazed over momentarily, then her eyes refocused on him, and she was the one shivering, and quite noticeably at that. She licked her lips again, eyeing him hungrily, and he knew then and there that he was the one running the show now, at least momentarily.

"Sit down Daphne", he said and gestured for the chair next to the hospital bed, the same one Fleur vacated no more than an hour ago. She seemed extremely reluctant to comply with his request, but she did so in the end, though with a pout.

As she sat she made sure to sit so that her skirt rode up revealing a good deal of mouth-watering tanned thigh, which was surprisingly muscular.

"Going to tell me why you are here anytime soon, or are we going to keep playing these enjoyable games?"

She seemed to regain a bit of self with that, and sat straighter, like they were discussing business, but she still had that hungry lustful look in her eyes. "I'm here…", she said with a suggestive wink. "Mostly on business."

"Oh, and what pray tell does this business entail?", Harry asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Something mutually beneficial", she said cryptically, or at least tried, though the half-lidded, seductive gaze detracted a bit from the statement.

He smiled brightly and though he had never been much of a flirter, he had begun to get the hang of it and to be honest found it kind of fun, though he was very new to it. But he was no longer the shy, awkward brat and would never become it again.

"You have my attention", he said. If a Slytherin, and the top dog at that, wanted to make a deal with him, the perceived greatest enemy of all Slytherin, then he'd better give it some thought. It would probably be smart of him to at least hear her out. Besides, he was confident he could pick up on anything rotten in the deal. It wasn't without reason the hat had wanted to place him in Slytherin, and he'd felt that part of himself rearing its head a lot lately.

"You are now a part of a deadly tournament as I expect you have discovered", she said with an amused air. "And you also know that there is a good reason why 4th years such as us, should not be able to enter the tournament. We simply have not learned enough to hope to escape with our lives".

He let out an amused chuckle, though it held a slightly wheezy quality to it. The potions Madam Pomfrey had administered were doing their job, and at an incredible rate at that, but he still felt like he had been wrestling with a bear.

"But you do not agree it seems".

"Me?", she said in mock-indignation. "Who am I to contradict hundreds of year of tradition?"

His smile got a bit bigger. "You believe you would have a chance at winning this tournament? Okay, you got me", he said concentrating solely on her. "So how would this help me?"

"In the history of the tournament it is not unknown that some competitors get… outside help."

He stared levelly at her, not really opposed to what she was suggesting. He just wanted to survive the damn thing, though winning did have its appeal.

"So you are… suggesting, that I get outside help?", he asked getting a nod from the blonde. "And I suppose that outside help would be you?", he received another nod. "So what would this help entail?"

A dazzling smile met his question. "Well, would you not agree that it is better to be prepared?"

He was starting to catch on.

"Yes I would. Unfortunately for me, the people who know about this are not exactly willing to divulge such information", he shrugged, while grinning inwardly. He was playing Slytherin games.

"I know of someone who might be willing to divulge this… information", Daphne said sultrily, having discreetly pulled her chair closer and placed a hand on his.

"Would this help also include some sort of private tutoring?", he said, lifting his free hand to play with one of her dirty blonde locks.

Her eyes glossed over, and he found that he enjoyed this newfound confidence. Though touching her smooth skin certainly did feel lovely.

"So what is the price of all this… help?", he asked in a whisper as he stroked her cheek.

Her voice was low, but easily distinguishable in the quiet hospital wing.

"Me", she purred, leaning into his hand with her eyes closed.

He couldn't keep the shock of his face, though he quickly schooled his features. This wasn't what he had expected, though if he was honest with himself, he didn't know what he had been expecting. So he decided a little digging was in order.

"The price is you? Why don't you explain this a bit further for me?" he asked, his hand still slowly stroking her cheek.

"Mm", she said and nuzzled his hand. "My father is a Death Eater, and lately there has been some activity in the Death Eater circles. I will not serve the Dark Lord, and if I stay with my family much longer I will be married off to some potential Death Eater. I do not agree with Dumbledore on a lot of things, but he is right that he treats his followers like dirt." A shiver ran through her, but she only burrowed deeper into his hand. "You are my only sure-fire way out of this."

He made a small motion with his hand, indicating she should come up and sit beside him, and she quickly grabbed the chance and settled beside him on the hospital bed, though she did so gently. She took the liberty of snuggling up to his side, placing her body flush with his, and lay her head on his shoulder.

"So explain why you are so sure I am your only way out of this dilemma", his hand was again busy playing with her hair.

"I have been keeping an eye on you for a while, and I can see you are not as pure as everyone thinks, but I am sure you would never side with the Dark Lord", she murmured into his shoulder. "But if I swear on my magic and life to take you as my master, then I would legally and otherwise become your property, then the Greengrass family would lose all authority over me, and it would fall to you. Which means you would have to care for me, food, shelter and otherwise", she said and nuzzled even closer, draping a leg over him. "However I expect you to treat me properly, and not abuse me."

"So out of this deal I get information about the tournament, you train me for it, and you become my slave, and you get out of whatever plot your family is brewing right?", he asked after a while, and felt Daphne nod against his shoulder, and he could feel her tense in what he imagined to be anticipation. "Sounds like a wonderful deal for me. I get the most gorgeous woman in Hogwarts and get to demolish my competition."

As she heard his words, she relaxed but remained silent. He could feel a strange possessive urge build inside him, his blood was singing, pumping through his body. He gently tilted her chin, urging her to look into his eyes, her own eyes swimming with desire and anticipation, and a small amount of dread.

"Will you become mine?", he asked in a purr, cupping her cheek, and received an eager nod in return, and he again briefly wondered why she seemed so eager. He leaned to her ear and whispered. "Then be mine."

She drew back slightly, to look into his eyes, her own eyes shining and she reluctantly drew back and stood at the side of the bed and drew her wand.

"I, Daphne Julietta Greengrass, do hereby swear on my life and magic, to take Harry James Potter as my Master in all things, and serve him with my mind, body, soul and magic for eternity, never to betray him and always follow his command in all things", she intoned.

It all came out in a rush, and he stared at her. He had expected the Slytherin to make some sort of escape clause for use later on, but she hadn't. Why confused him even further, though he still saw no reason not to agree.

"So mote it be", he intoned, accepting his part of the deal, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"So mote it be", she said, finishing the pledging ritual and he felt a primal satisfaction, so far removed from how he had felt just days ago.

"Thank you accepting me Master." The Ice Princess of Slytherin said demurely, eyes focused below his.

He responded in a warm tone. "It was my pleasure Daphne. Now look me into the eyes. ", he waited for his eyes to catch those of the girl before him. "Good, know this Daphne. Just because you are my slave, it does not lessen your worth as a person, it was a necessary evil for you, and a lucky one for me."

He knew how it sounded, it sounded arrogant, stuck-up, stupid and a lot of other things. But somehow it felt like it was true.

Her eyes got a happy gleam, glittering with pride. "Thank you Master."

He chuckled and patted the place beside him again.

"You're welcome", he said mirthfully. "But when we are in public, at least for the meantime, you must call me Harry."

"Yes Master", she answered as she settled in beside him.

DB -

Harry was going through several books on dragons, trying to gain any advantage he could before he had to face the beast.

He had already gotten several ideas on how to deal with it out of Daphne, by covert means, all of them very enjoyable for both parties, though nothing substantial had happened. Daphne had been eager to help him. One of the ideas would if what she said was true, be an experience of a lifetime, and would leave repercussions throughout the wizarding world, or at least that was what she had said.

Daphne had stayed a couple of hours, where they shared some of their experiences with one another, as the first step towards getting to know each other. Daphne had known quite a lot about him beforehand, though most of it was conclusions she had drawn as the most possible scenario and so forth, but still it was almost scary how easily she had pinpointed most of his life.

The Greengrass' were actually large Voldemort supporters. They were well-known in pureblood society, and actually wielded quite a lot of influence, both political as well as monetary, though they didn't claim the spotlight like the Malfoy family. They preferred to pull the strings from the shadows, and most often did things through proxies. Privacy was an important thing for them. This also reflected on their home, which according to Daphne was behind multiple wards, all designed to keep unwanted visitors away.

He could only conclude that the Greengrass' were very reclusive.

Though, apparently they were financial geniuses, and were educated in politics almost as soon as they could talk, and fortunately for him, so was Daphne.

He had to admit that she was sharp, very much so, and intelligent to rival Hermione, though the vaunted Greengrass reclusiveness reared its head here, where she held back in most subjects so as not to draw unnecessary attention to her.

Oh, she would be something to be reckoned with when he set her loose. She would cause so much chaos, he could almost see it, and at least she could now that she had access to his political influence, and though not overly grand, the fortune from his trust vault was still more fairly large, and as it was he had barely even touched it.

When he had been little, he had always wished to have a lot of money, all to himself, but when he got it, he'd had absolutely no idea as to what to spend it on. Though he had an inkling that Daphne knew what to invest his money in.

After an enlightening talk with Daphne, she had mentioned that she would rather not return to the Slytherin house, and requested that he find her new lodgings, or allow her to find accommodations herself. He had just waved it off, and grinned as he told her the directions to a room, that was always changing.

He had found the Room of Requirement by sheer coincidence at the start of this year, or more specifically, soon after he had been picked by the Goblet of Fire as the second Tri-Wizard Champion to represent Hogwarts. The general populace had not been very happy with that, and that was true among all three schools.

However among them all, there were few that appeared not to loathe him, and funnily enough, these were among the foreign schools, most prominent among these were Fleur and Krum, though neither had really showed any positive feelings towards him either. They were strangely neutral, and the few students among them that didn't hate his guts took the same stance. Fleur however always treated him politely, and she seemed like someone who would make an excellent friend. But the neutrality with Fleur seemed to have shifted towards him now, and she treated him politely, and even flirted with him.

More so than people he had known for years at Hogwarts.

Actually Hogwarts seemed to be the place that took him being appointed a Champion worst. They had all in an instant turned their backs on him, people he'd known for years, or so he thought, avoided him like the plague or muttered insults about him to their friends, when he couldn't help but overhear. People began to get hostile against him, not violent, but he was being excluded from everything, even the teachers seemed to be looking upon him with disappointed looks. Apart from that, there had been plenty of friction between him and the rest of the Gryffindors. But that was mostly because he had stopped being the little naïve kid and had stood up for himself. They had threatened him with a house ban. It was almost unheard of, the last house ban was some and 150 years ago, that person had also been a Gryffindor, though the reasons for that were pretty blurred. But he was pretty sure they were just blowing out hot air, besides he doubted they actually would tally up all they required support to pull it through.

Truth be told, this was not really new to him, after all, he had been the victim of something similar in his second year, with the Chamber of Secrets and people accusing him of bring the heir of Slytherin. But now that he thought about it, and had gotten over that 'all Slytherins are despicable'-thing, he actually wouldn't have minded being the heir of Slytherin. To be able to trace ones line back to the founders. That would be something.

But it really mattered little to him, bloodlines were just that, blood, and to him ties of family meant little. It might be the side effect of living with Petunia, Vernon and Dudley, and he had found that he let his life be dictated by his dead parents, as well as his views on life. He had lived alone up till now, and had, at least in his own opinion been leeching off of the Weasley family, using them like crutches.

He would stand on his own legs now. He would no longer pretend to be who his parents would have wanted him to be. He would be who he really was; he would no longer be the attention-starved puppy.

This was why he wouldn't back down, not for his housemates, not for anyone. He'd done enough of that throughout his life.

But despite this new attitude, this situation was also different from the one in his second year. Even his friends, Hermione and Ron were against him this time. Maybe they were not outright hostile, well Ron was, calling him an attention-seeking brat again, but Hermione didn't believe him when he said he wasn't the one who put his name in the cup. But they had already been withdrawing themselves from him, since his new attitude.

Things had obviously changed, and even if it meant that he had to sacrifice his friendship because they wouldn't accept him now, then so be it.

All in all, he was more alone than ever, or so he had thought, he hadn't really counted on Fleur or Daphne.

Though he was initially sad about his friends, he hadn't taken it as hard as he had expected. It was probably for the better anyway, they had been extremely fickle, and he'd come to the conclusion that he should start thinking more about himself.

He felt strangely upbeat.

Who would have known ridding oneself of the care about other people's prejudices could be so wonderful, that it could feel so great. So liberating.

His spirits were high.

He shook his head and cleared his mind of such thoughts.

After all he had research and training to do.

Well he already had several contingency plans. So he was pretty confident that he would at least make it through the task.

He was however getting pretty bored, it was the middle of the afternoon, and he had yet to see anyone but Madam Pomfrey, and though she was a lovely lady, she was usually a bit too bossy and had a tendency to do all that motherly smothering. Though he had a sneaking suspicion that it had stopped being motherly.

To be honest, having Madam Pomfrey flirt with you, while you were bedridden, were quite scary, and had probably fed him enough stuff for nightmares to last him a long time.

He couldn't help the chill that ran up his spine, nor could he stop himself from desperately wishing someone would liberate him from this day of boredom and horror. But he had also been forced to seek refuge behind these books. Though the one Daphne had implored him to read, really was quite fascinating, and as per her instructions, he had spent some hours meditating.

The book was titled 'Mind Magic', and was a fascinating read. Admittedly, Legilimens did sound dodgy, but everyone was always prying into his life, so he felt it was reasonable that he return the favor. It also contained knowledge of the counterpart Mindmagic Occlumency, and he could honestly understand why Daphne had stressed how important it was to learn the art of defending one's mind. So he had done as she requested and had used a few hours of the day to clear his mind, and it had actually gone quite well, but if what Daphne said was true, it would take a week or two before he could really begin to build his defenses.

She hadn't explained the process of building shields very thoroughly, but she had said that he should not worry himself about such things yet. Instead he should focus his remaining time on working on the contingency plans.

So he did. She had lent him a book about curses and various spells affective against dragons, and other armored beasts. The trick about these spells were that they were a bit beyond NEWT level, but Daphne had assured him that he should be able to get the hang of the trick needed to perform the spells, and be able to cast a few of them. It was all about visualizing the spell penetrate the hide of the dragon, because they biggest mistake that people often tend to make when dealing with such creatures is to unleash their most powerful spells on them, but that would not really help if they weren't able to pierce the skin, but the troubles didn't end with just getting through the hide. One curse would never be enough to bring down a dragon with a fully developed hide, that is, unless he supercharged his spell, but that would require almost all the magical power his core could produce at the time, and therefore if something went wrong he would be unable to deal with it. All in all, trying to one shot the giant beast wasn't the greatest plan, since it would depend on whether or not he could accurately hit one of its vital spots.

The anatomy of dragons and that of humans were vastly different, much more so than one would think. Most of dragon's vital organs were enveloped in either very leathery skin or encased in bone, making it infinitely difficult to strike the beast and leave a fatal wound. At least his research so far said that it was so with Horntails, and most other subspecies. But the way to bring down a dragon was to focus solely on one point of the beast, and strike it repeatedly until the dragon was forced to back off in order to tend to injuries, or one could use the dragon handlers way of doing with, by overpowering it with so many spells that even its own inherent magical resistance would not be enough to keep it standing. But for some reason he doubted he could compel anyone from the audience to fight for him, so he would have to go with the solo course, where he focused on a single point.

Of course he would only go on the offense if his other contingency plans didn't work, of course it wasn't nearly as glamorous to transfigure rocks around them into small animals or other similar things to annoy the dragon, and draw it's attention away from him, nor would it be as fun to charm rocks to repeatedly strike the beast in the head. But they would still probably work. Maybe he could transfigure some of the rock into various instruments and charm them to play a symphony or something, surely that would distract the beast, and if he at the same time disillusioned himself, he could probably make it work. He would have to ask Daphne how one would go about doing that when she came to visit him.

At least it would spice up this tournament a bit, bring in a bit of laughter.

Transforming stuff into instruments wasn't that tough, he had already learned that earlier in the year, and he'd spent some time looking up which spell needed to make them play after that, actually he had gone to Flitwick with that question. He had been a bit out of it when he asked him; else he doubted that he would have provided the answer, since even the diminutive professor had seemed to be a little taken aback by the election of him as a Champion. But as it was he had gotten what he needed, and was happy about it. All he needed to do was to ask Daphne if she knew any variations of the spells that would allow for multiple and various instrument to play.

He sighed and closed the book. He knew all that he needed to know about the dragon he was up against, he well prepared and confident he could deal with it.

The hours passed by slowly, especially with Madam Pomfrey flirting with him, or Poppy as she wanted him to call her now. He had nothing better to do than to spend some time working on his transfiguration, by turning the chairs and the likes into instruments and charmed them to play. But all in all being cooped up in the hospital wing was boring.

He was going out of his mind.

"Ahh, can this get any more boring?", he said loudly, staring out the window. Annoyance was obvious in his voice.

"It probably could, but luckily for you I am here to keep you company now…", came a melodious voice from behind him, and he couldn't help but smile. He had gotten to know that voice very well last night and he would be able to recognize it anywhere. "Master."

He turned around to see Daphne looking at him with a broad smile, which he readily returned; it didn't feel at all weird to be called Master.

"I was wondering when you would get here", he said returning the smile. "It was almost about to do something drastic."

"I am sorry to keep you waiting Master, but as per your orders I had to wait to before coming here, as I did not want to draw attention to myself. Though I really did miss you", she said sultrily and sauntered over to him and gracefully sat in the chair. "So how has your day been so far, aside for boring?"

He leaned back and sighed. "It has been very dull, and I have been very bored. I've already gone over all the plans for the first task and I should be fully ready when you tell me the trick behind penetrating the hide of the dragon, and I have also been doing the meditation you have asked me to. It was actually quite easy", he smiled. "Oh, that reminds, do you know any spells to mass transform multiple and various instruments and get them to a play a symphony, I only know how the spell work involved is supposed to be done when I'm doing it on one instrument at a time, and for what I have planned that will take too long."

Her face set in thoughtful folds and, and placed a finger on her chin. "Well, I seem to remember both McGonagall and Flitwick demonstrating similar skills in some of their classes, and I have seen some other higher years do them, so I do not think it will be too difficult to do it, at least not the Charms part since I know that already and can teach you, but I will have to check in with McGonagall first, and make some inquiries if I cannot find anything in any books today."

"Great, then I am more than halfway there", he said. "By the way Daphne, have I ever told you, you look incredibly good when you think?"

She smiled at him, and a small blush lit up her cheeks. "You have now. But you know I can look sexy doing other things as well", she said and picked up one of the books laying spread over his bed sheet, and by the gods she was right, the way she stretched forth accentuated her sizeable bosom, and showed her taut body. Luckily for him, she was again wearing a skirt and a tight shirt this time, and it showed off her well-toned body nicely.

"I am sure you can, and I am eager to find out all the different ways you look sexy, however, for now we will have to put it off. Tell me about your day, and how the school is. How did the Slytherin react to you?"

He was genuinely interested and concerned, she was after all his responsibility now, and he would shoulder it. Besides right now she was his only connection to the world outside of the hospital wing, at least until Fleur possibly came to visit him. For some reason he felt that, that prospect was very likely.

"Not much to tell really. My day went as it always did, I had Transfiguration and History of Magic, though I suspect a few Slytherin of knowing that I was not back in my dorm room last night, as I got a few stares, but no one made any trouble for me. So I doubt we have to worry about that yet, though I would like to again point out that this ruse will not hold for much longer, Master."

"How long do you think we might be capable of keeping this up?"

She again put on that thoughtful look. "Well, I suspect that maybe only one or two weeks at best and that are only because my father will be on a business trip, so he will not be capable of examining the family tapestry. But when he returns he will without a doubt know that I am no longer part of the Greengrass family."

He frowned. "What about your mother? Does she often check the tapestry as well?"

"No Master. Only my father spends time going over the tapestry regularly, there is the off chance that one of my sisters might stumble upon it, but that is very unlikely."

"Okay", he said slowly. "So realistically speaking, how long do you think we have?"

"It all depends on whether or not the negotiation with the company father is visiting goes well or not. But I would say about a week."

"Not as much time as I would have wanted, but it is nothing drastic. We will just have to find accommodations for ourselves somewhere in this castle that no one will happen upon, and people cannot break into. Would you happen to know any? The place needs to be spacious, of course to suit our needs, and hopefully be hidden away from prying eyes."

"I am not sure Master. I will have to check it out, but I doubt I will be able to find anything that fits that description perfectly within such a short time span", she said, a grim expression on her face.

"Well, when I get out of here I will have a little something that will hopefully make the search easier. If not we will just have to go to the best authority on Hogwarts secrets there is", he said grinning slightly.

"Oh, and may I enquire as to what this item and this authority is?", she asked, curiosity laced in her voice.

"Well, the item will have to wait for now, and as for the informant, well let's just say that not all the house-elves here is loyal to Dumbledore. If all else fails Dobby might be able to provide with information about such a safe place here within Hogwarts."

"Dobby? You mean the Malfoy house elf?", disbelief written across her face.

He chuckled. "Yes Dobby, and he is no longer employed by the Malfoy's, I tricked little Lucy…", he said trying to imitate the noble. "Into setting him free, and apparently he has become quite attached to me since then."

"Malfoy did mention something about rotten houseelves in passing when we started our third year. He seemed quite agitated about it."

Harry snorted. "You mean he bitched and whined?"

"Yes, that is basically what he did. Apparently he did not have the same comforts that summer as he was used to, and he saw fit to inform the rest of this quite often in the beginning."

He snickered. "Well it definitely sounds like him. But enough about that git", he pinned her with a warm smile. "Tell me about that charm."

She seemed momentarily lost, then seemed to understand what he was talking about. "Very well Master. Do I even want to know what you are going to use it for?"

"Probably not, but trust me, if I pull it off it will be the talk of the school for the next many weeks, and at least it will be fun for me", he said with a devious glint in his eyes.

"I will be looking forward to it", she said warmly. "The spell is actually just a slight modification from the original one you are probably using, the only thing different is that you need to concentrate that much more as you need to envision all the instruments playing, luckily for you, the Occlumency should help here, and of course it will tax your magic accordingly, but since it is already such a weak spell and hardly require any magical energy at all, it will be negligent and therefore you would probably not even notice any great difference."

"The only thing really different between this spell and the original one is that you change the chant slightly, and as I said, focus on all the instruments. Of course with the additional piece to the chant you will also need to add an additional wand movement, though it is rather easy", she drew her wand from what he assumed was a holster hidden in her sleeve, and gracefully brandished the oaken wand. "Watch."

She made a circle and crossed a line through it.

He looked genuinely puzzled. "Are you saying that, that is all there is to it?"

"Yes Master", was her amused reply.

"So what is the additional piece of the chant?"

"It is _'Cunctus'_, it just goes in the start of the spell, and everything should work out. Though I would probably recommend that you spend a little time getting acquainted with it while you are… detained in here", she said good-humoredly, and he couldn't help but groan at that remark. He actually felt quite fine, admittedly he doubted he could wrestle with a bear, but then again he doubted he could that before. But he felt almost completely healthy, and most of it was just cramps from lying still in bed all day.

"That is easy for you to say, you are not the one being imprisoned in here", he grumbled. "Oh, I have a little assignment for you, it shouldn't be too hard and you have a great deal of time to do it."

"What is it about?"

"I need to know how the other Champions are doing, or more specifically just Diggory and Krum, you do not have to worry about miss Delacour I already have that part in hand", he said with a devious smile.

"I will keep an eye on them Master, as much as I will be capable of without seeming suspicious. Though as you might know, keeping an eye on Krum will be very difficult, as the Bulgarians do not readily trust anyone. So I will possible have to resort to more inappropriate means of gathering intelligence."

His eyes narrowed. "And what would these means be Daphne?", he asked suspiciously.

Her eyes widened. "No, I did not mean it like that Master. I am talking about more frowned upon means, means that are illegal."

"Please continue."

"I could always take them into custody, and use certain… tools, that will loosen their tongue, it will be less than pleasant for them, but they will not be able to remember anything when I am done, and I will never reveal my identity to them."

He mulled it over for a few seconds. "You may proceed, use whatever means you deem necessary", his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Within limits."

"Yes Master, thank you Master."

His demeanor suddenly became upbeat. "Would you like to play a game of chess with me?"

The heavy atmosphere lifted and they had plenty of fun of playing chess and chatting for a few hours, and Daphne had made several subtle inquiries about Fleur, though he could honestly understand why she would be interested in his connection with Fleur, but it wouldn't do for her to get possessive, especially not when he had just decided to reap some of the apparent benefits of his status as a famous person.

Unfortunately time flew by and soon it was time to sleep again, and as uncomfortable as it was, he had gotten used to the way Pomfrey acted. Neither Hermione nor Ron had come by to visit him, though from what Daphne had told him they didn't seem to have the intention of actually visiting, and though he shouldn't be surprised, he actually was a bit. They had after all been friends for a few years, though if he was to be honest their relationship was built on a need for recognition on all parts. Him because of his childhood, Hermione due to her lack of friends and Ron because he was so often overlooked by his family because of its size.

The golden trio, it would be more accurate to call it the crippled trio. Problem was that they were one member short as he had removed himself from the equation, and apparently the current members were shunning him. Though he supposed it was a good thing for both of them, maybe spending some time together would open their eyes. Gods knew they had been beating around the bush, and it was really frustrating to watch, and much more so to be a part of their games.

Daphne left him with a kiss on the cheek, promises to visit him again before he was released from the 'tender' care of Madam Pomfrey and a reminder for him to keep practicing meditation, and visualizing his minds environment. She seemed to have become better at controlling herself around him, though she still had that hungry look about her.

Hours went, and the sky became darker and darker, and Madam Pomfrey eventually left him alone, to retreat to her own quarters. Problem was, he couldn't sleep, he simply wasn't tired and he still felt full of energy. So he had conjured a small glowing ball of white light, so he could continue to read his Transfiguration book, he was almost all the way through it, having done every spell almost perfectly, perhaps Transfiguration was just easier than he normally thought.

Or maybe he was just more focused now.

DB -

She was ecstatic.

This had to be it. It was the perfect explanation, it fit perfectly. It required a bit more research than she had initially thought, but it was all worth it. There had never been any sort of predecessor to such an incident as this. Sure the other races had similar cases, but none quite like this. It was extraordinary, no it was spectacular. She was the witness of a new height of history.

But people could not find out. He would become a government project; they would surely experiment on him. She would keep this under wraps for now.

She gave a loud whoop of joy, causing several of the French girls nearby to look at her with suspicious stares. Which she just ignored as she packed up her books, it had only required three books to solve the mystery, and fortunately for her, the book she had been keeping for light reading before she went to sleep nowadays proved to hold the key. 'Awakening Species' was a fantastic piece of work, that along with 'Creatures of Passion' and 'Seeds of Lust' had handed her the answer.

She shrank the books and placed them in her pocket once again. A quick bath later and she was ready to go, books in her pocket and so forth.

As she rose, her stomach gave a loud growl, and figured that maybe a quick stop by the Great Hall would not be completely amiss. Besides luck seemed to be with her today, because a quick 'tempus' spell later showed that her research had ended right in time for dinner to be served. She had fallen asleep early in the morning as she had been up all night studying, and had therefore missed breakfast, and because of that she had simply immersed herself in the books again, and had missed lunch. At that point she had been completely alone in the French dorm room, and had simply missed it because she was unaware of the time.

As she merrily, almost skipped, down the corridors, she drew many looks, but completely disregarded them.

The Great Hall was bustling with students and chatter as she walked in, and not many noticed her. She took a seat at the Ravenclaw table amongst her fellow Beauxbaton students, and ignored the excited murmuring around her and all the stares directed at her. She was after all famished enough to eat this greasy English food, disgusting as it may be, it actually did taste quite delicious, or that may just be her stomach talking. Either way, she wasn't complaining when she poured another portion of food onto her plate.

She would have to work it off later. A wicked idea crossed her mind. She should probably bring Harry along with her, the gods knew that he could use it; a little physical conditioning would do him good, as well as her. She licked her lips at the thought.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a voice addressing her. A tall guy stood behind her, from her estimate he was probably a 6th year. He was a bit handsome and he did have a charming smile. But what he didn't seem to realize was that she was not the one to be played easily, and a charming smile was only that, a charming smile. She however was the one to play others, the one who wound them around her finger.

Besides, she already knew by his posture why he was there; he was acting like any other guy who wanted to take her on a date.

"Yes?", she answered politely, she did after all have an image to maintain. It all hitched on seeming to be approachable and not totally out of reach. But seeming possible and being possible was two different things, and that was where her power over the masses lay.

His smile broadened, and she could see pearly teeth. "My name is Peter Zerbst", he said and held out a hand.

She smiled graciously at him, but disregarded the hand he held out, but his smile only faltered a bit as he withdrew it. "A pleasure", she said. "I assume you know me?", she asked sweetly, and the French students tittered in laughter, which the boy ignored. She had to give it to him, the boy had guts.

"I have yet to make your acquaintance, but yes, everyone knows of the Beauxbaton Champion, Fleur Delacour, who lured a rogue dragon away from the bystanders and somehow forced it into a deep slumber", he let out a little laugh. "Yes, I believe everyone knows of you."

She covered her mouth as she forced out a small laugh, playing the part of the damsel perfectly. "You flatter me too much", she said in a delighted tone, though she was disappointed by the disregard for Harry's participation.

He waved it off. "Not at all, not at all. After all credit where credit's due."

She pretended to be amused. "So what can I help you with mister Zerbst?"

"I was wondering if you would do me the honor of letting me escort you to the Yuletide Ball", he said smoothly. Now that threw her for a loop, not his proposal, but the entire business of the ball.

This explained why there were required to bring along a ball gown. She had assumed that it was just for a formal function, but this was much better. Oh, this opened up entirely new venues. Harry beware, hunting season was now in.

"What ball?", she asked innocently.

He blinked owlishly for a few seconds. "The Yuletide Ball, it was announced at the start of tonight's dinner", he said clearly.

"Oh, tell me a bit about it".

"It is a ball in honor of the Tri-Wizard tournament, as well as in honor of growing bonds between our three schools", he explained.

"When is it supposed to be held?"

"In a month's time, at Christmas."

"I see", she said and ran a finger along her chin.

"So will you allow me to escort you?", he asked, a charming smile in place yet again.

She looked up at him again, and then disregarded him again. "No", she said coolly. "Now go away."

Peter Zerbst turned an amazing red, closely resembling purple, spluttering incomprehensibly for a few seconds, then turned and tried to escape with his dignity intact, but with his tail between his legs. Figuratively speaking of course, he after all didn't have a tail.

He had been totally emasculated in front of three schools; this should properly discourage future suitors, though a hopeful few would probably still try. But that fit her perfectly, image and all that. But as lovely her day had been, Harry's situation took precedence.

They, the Champions, would probably be expected to perform some function in relation to this ball, but odds were that they wouldn't be told before Harry was let out of the Hospital Wing.

She ate the remains of her meal in silence, contemplating all that had happened in the last week. She had been chased by a dragon, put it to sleep via an unprecedented phenomenon among the veela, researched and maybe discovered something that would rock the foundation of the wizarding world… in due time of course.

It seemed everything was going her way, which was just fine with her.

She was not bothered by more date proposals during the rest of her meal, and none bothered her as she got up and exited the Great Hall, but a few French students got up and followed. They kept their silence until they were wandering in some of the more deserted corridors.

Louise, the leader of this little gaggle of girls, stepped in front of her, and puffed herself up, which actually was a quite impressive sight. She was one of the more beautiful girls from Beauxbaton, without a doubt. Not many normal humans could stand up to her and still come up with their head held high. She was not an overly tall girl, she was perhaps half a head lower than Fleur herself, with a more slender athletic build. She worked to keep herself in top shape, and because of that she also had an exquisite tan, a delicious dark golden brown. Her face structure was much more delicate. A pair of rosy red lips, and a slender face with high cheek bones, framed by waist length raven black hair. However her body was well-developed, with a curvy waist, and a plump inviting bosom, the body of a ripe young woman.

Louise was in the same year as she, and she had always had a competitive streak, especially towards Fleur, and had viewed herself as Fleur's rival since early on. It seemed to annoy her to no end that Fleur had such an easy time in most things, and she knew it irked Louise to no end when she simply brushed off her rivalry. Louise was strongly against her, if not outright hated her, and she had gathered other like-minded people around her, and most were standing around her in this deserted corridor.

But she wasn't worried, partially because she had a sort of immunity while this tournament was up and running, and because it was not Louise's style to do something so crude as to curse her. No odds were that she wanted to threaten her, and then just go away again.

Though honestly she had no idea what she was angry about this time, she had after all been pretty much secluding herself since she had gotten back from the hospital wing.

The puffed up French stared at her venomously, and she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What is it Louise? I do not have time to chit chat with you. I have places to be", she said, letting some of her current impatience reflect in her voice. True she might just brush off her rivalry, but truth be told, this girl almost always got under her skin, and she never really had much patience with her.

Louise's eyes narrowed. "You should know that you are not the only one after him", she snapped. Despite the nature of the comment, everyone could clearly hear the beautiful voice she had, and it was not without good reason that she sang as a hobby. Louise left with a loud 'hmph', and her black locks flew wildly behind her, and the gaggle of girls right behind her, they occasionally sent a dirty look back towards her.

Fleur couldn't help but become a bit confused, after all, what was that supposed to mean.

Then it struck her, and she laughed in anticipation. This was almost too good to be true, and with this she would hit two birds with one stone.

Did poor Louise really think she could compete with her, especially when it came to him? If she was serious, then she would have another thing coming to her, and she would be more than willing to show her the error of her ways. Shame the poor girl would be completely crushed, if she wouldn't surely enjoy it so much, then she might have almost felt sorry.

Well everything in its own time, one thing she was sure of, there would be entertainment in abundance. With that in mind she quickly collected herself and hurried towards her destination.

She walked into the hospital wing to see Harry with his nose in a book. She now understood why she was feeling so different now, but she also knew fighting it was futile. One thing surprised her however, the feeling was much stronger than yesterday, almost frighteningly so. She actually did feel sorry for the nurse who had been under this effect the entire day. It must have been pure torture on both accounts.

She couldn't help the giggle that burst forth, and it caught the attention of Harry, and when his head drew up to regard her, an almost feral grin was on his face, and she could feel her heart rate increase drastically. She realized then that in this game he was the one who was going to lead, and she follow, because with him, there no other choice, there was no middle way.

But that didn't mean she would make it easy, she would make the hunt thrilling.

"Hello Fleur", his voice sent delightful shivers down her back. "I was hoping you would come by".

She smiled brightly at him. "Wish granted. Anything else you want?"

"There are many things I want, many fun and wonderful things", he said in a near whisper and gestured her closer, and she found both her body and her mind all too willing to comply with the command.

She was at his bedside now. "But do you want to know what I would truly love right now?", he purred, and she eagerly nodded.

"Would you like to…", he said and smiled charmingly, and no matter what anyone said this was a charming smile, and she felt as if her knees were about to give out. She leaned closer to him, to hear what he said.

"Get me a glass of water?", he suddenly said and pointed to the glass on the bedside table. It took a few seconds for her brain to process what he said, and when it hit her, she felt extremely foolish.

"Of course, let me just get it", she said, feeling very flustered. She grabbed the glass and filled it by the same basin as yesterday. She felt a small pang of sadness that he wouldn't need help to drink today, but she quickly squashed it. She couldn't feel sorry that he wasn't hurt anymore.

When his hand touched hers as he accepted the glass from her, a jolt ran through her and it took an amazing amount of willpower to stop from jumping. She quickly took the same seat as she sat in yesterday, and took a hold of herself, albeit with great difficulty. She could get all cow-eyed over him later, she had important things to tell him, and discuss with him today. She almost laughed at the image of herself going cow-eyed over anyone, it was almost hilarious, but true nonetheless, but she had to focus on the important thing here.

Problem was, she didn't know how to break the news. "'Arry?", she started uncertainly.

He quickly emptied the glass and focused a stare on her, and she again had to steel herself as his gorgeous green eyes turned on her, she couldn't allow herself to be derailed.

Then a brilliant idea struck her, hopefully it functioned in a similar way.

"Yes, what is it Fleur?", he asked in a calm voice as he put the glass down again.

"I want you to try something, okay?", she was a bit nervous of sounding like a loon, and besides that, if it didn't work, it would make it that much harder for her.

"Why not, I am immensely bored here anyway, so I might as well make the time pass", he said with an indulgent smile. "So what is it you want me to do?"

"Have you ever tried to reach your magical core?", this was a part of her education as well as her heritage, she was somewhat an expert in this field.

"No, I am actually not quite sure about it, I might have. I have only read a bit of theory on it, and that is not much, but would I be correct to assume that my core might look like a glowing sun or something?", he asked, chin raised in thought.

"Oui, but I do not think it would actually be a glowing sun, for most people it would be like a bright good sized ball of light", she explained, immersing herself in theory helped her a bit. "But this means you have seen your core?"

He laughed sheepishly. "Well, I have recently started meditating, you know to prepare to build Occlumency defenses, and during this meditation I pictured myself standing on a meadow, but in front of me was a huge glowing ball, I could not even look directly at it."

That bore food for thought, but it would have to wait. If he had truly found his magical core then this should be easy. "'Arry, I want you to try and enter that meadow again, but when you do, look after another flowing ball, it should probably hold a deep red color, it should be easy to see, okay?"

"Okay, but what do I do when I find it?"

"When you do, try imagining a thin piece of cloth covering it, since it is your mindscape, it should manifest it, just make sure the small red ball is covered for now okay?"

He nodded and closed his eyes.

She breathed quietly; he needed all the peace he could to do this. The relaxed expression on his face made him seem much more relaxed and natural. She remembered the boy she had seen in the start of the year, he had always seemed so fake, but gradually he had seemed to ease up, and despite the drastic change in his personality, he had seemed more sincere than ever, and at this exact moment, just looking at him, she knew the person he had become was more true to himself, no one could completely fake a nature that wasn't one's own. It was to see just by looking at him. The tenseness was gone, and he just generally seemed more relaxed.

She was a bit worried that it might not work for him, but they would never know if they didn't try. This was a unique case, there could be no true thinking before he acted, aside from common sense, and this was trial and error in its truest sense. Hopefully at least this part would be similar, but only time would tell. Unfortunately for her, the fact that he was trying to make it easier didn't actually help her right now, and she found it strangely exciting to see him sitting there with closed eyes, dressed in a hospital gown, it made no sense but it was true nonetheless.

Seconds passed into minutes, and before she knew it ten minutes had gone by, and he was still sitting there, completely still and focused, but she dared not interrupt him. The matter could probably be a completely different, and he would have to go about it differently.

After another ten minutes had gone by, her resolve to not disturb had weakened greatly, and she found herself close to shaking him when suddenly she felt a drastic decrease in pressure in the air, the sexual attraction was still there without a doubt, and the edge was still as sharp, but somehow it had been dulled to manageable levels, and she could actually think fairly straight, and waited for him to awaken. But he did not and she would have worried if she had not known that there would be nothing in his mind that would hurt him. After all every person's subconscious desire is to survive, and the only thing that could hurt him in there was him, and only truly if he was foolish enough to meddle with his core, but she was confident he wouldn't do that.

Ten minutes later he opened his eyes, and sent a warm smile at her.

"Red orb you say?", he said with a faint air of amusement. "It might just be me, but there were two balls in there besides my magical core, one was a ball where green and red was constantly in movement, woven into each other, the other was completely silver, and it shone brightly as well, except not as brightly as my core, I can't imagine why I haven't noticed it before", he shrugged. "Well, anyways since you didn't tell me there would be two balls I had to discover which was what, but when I approached the red and green one, I just _felt_ that I should not touch it, that it would be dangerous to meddle with it, so I simply let it be. The silver orb however proved to be far easier than I would have imagined it to be, size and all. I conjured a piece of cloth around it all you told me to".

He scratched his chin. "Oh yea, and whatever that silver ball was, it was awesome, when I touched it, I _felt_ complete, like a part of me had been missing and had suddenly been returned. It was an amazing feeling. So thanks to your advice of making whatever I think in my mindscape to reality I made a sort of switch for whatever that silver orb was. As it is now, I should be able to tweak it with just a thought."

As if to prove his words the pressure in the room skyrocketed and she was instantly breathing heavily, and she felt her arousal skyrocket to unimaginable levels. Then just as suddenly it was gone, and everything was back to normal, she was however still panting as if she had run ten miles.

"Ahh, it works", he exclaimed happily, not even looking at her.

"What did you do?", she asked uncertainly, though it was a lot easier to think now, though what he had done was just unheard of, the speed of the adaption was amazing, but to create this sort of connection between his conscious and subconscious mind had never happened. People who knew themselves well enough could enter their subconscious and change the properties of her powers; of course they could only change within the parameters that their own powers set. These people could do this in the blink of an eye.

He smiled. "I just did what you said. You said whatever I imagined would become real right?", at a nod from her he continued. "Well using that as a base, I thought of a muggle contraption called a switch, but whatever it is, would probably be uncomfortable if I put it on at full power. So I made a hundred switches, each one representing a different percentage of power, climbing to one hundred. This makes it easier to manage", he explained proudly.

She realized he had a good reason for being proud. This was almost unreal, how could he keep doing these things.

"But that does not explain how you connected your conscious and your subconscious mind. So how did you do it?", she questioned.

His brow furrowed. "Well, I realized how much of a bother it would have been to renew such a bond constantly, so simply anchoring it was out of the question. Somehow I could always feel the other part of my mind, so I took your advice to heart again and imagined a doorway between the two, and it worked. So I simply drew a connection from the orb and permanently tied on the other side of the doorway."

"Well", she said slowly. "That does actually make sense. You will have to show me how exactly you did that some time."

"Sure, but might I ask why you are here? Seeing as my devilishly good looks was not enough to draw you here sooner, then it must definitely have been my charming and brilliant personality", he said, immediately back to his carefree attitude.

"Could it not be that I was simply too shy to come back here until now?" she said in a shy tone, befitting of the words she were saying.

He merely snorted. "Fleur Delacour, shy? You have got to be kidding me? Do you actually expect me to buy that?"

She laughed. "I suppose not. But I actually did want to talk to you about something", she said as she looked around. "You think it is safe to talk here?"

"I believe so, but you are of course welcome to check for eavesdropping spells, and put up some privacy charms if you want to. I for one would not mind some privacy with you". She smiled at him, but still did as he suggested and cast the privacy charms.

"'Arry, what I am about to tell you should remain a secret, and you should not trust anyone with this information", her tone impressed the seriousness upon him, and he focused on her and listened intently.

"You have my attention", he said seriously.

She took a deep breath and made herself comfortable. It would take some time to properly explain this.

"You know about Veela right?"

"To be honest I do not know that much about them as such, except they made me act as a fool at the Quidditch World Cup. That is about the extent of my knowledge, oh and you are a part Veela", he shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Then it seems I have a bit to explain. I am sorry if this seems abrupt, but do you know anything about Veela breeding habits?" It was an awkward and weird question, but it would make it easier to explain.

He seemed a bit puzzled, but the question didn't seem to bother him at all. "Well I would assume it is the same way as everyone else, you know. Male Veela meets female Veela, and they play a lengthy game of cash'n'prices, you know the horizontal tango."

"Ah, but that is where we hit the first bump in the road. There are no male Veela, or at least not in the sense you think."

Now he genuinely seemed confused. "That makes no sense, but then again, since you are part Veela I assume you can procreate with humans, but that would still not explain anything because then the Veela's would have been breed out of existence in a few centuries, and how does there still exist pureblood Veela's?"

"See this is where it all gets complicated. Yes, we would have been breed out centuries ago, had it not been for the ones with the dormant blood."

"Dormant blood? I do not follow."

"In the world of the Veela, it has always been the females with the awakened blood, it has always been like that", she said and took out her three shrunken books, and enlarged them. She took one of them, the title on the spine read 'Creatures of Passion'. She quickly leafed through it and found the page she was looking for. "'From the beginning of documented and undocumented Veela history, there has only ever been female Veela. They _are_ the Veela, only the females, and any boy that was born of unions with these, was given to the human to take care of and raise as one of their own. Never have it been any other way. Many believe it is because genetics and magic found women to be more suitable for the position of Veela.'"

She watched him closely as he digested this new piece of information.

He looked back up at her. "So you are saying that the Veela society is a strictly matriarchal society and because they are the only real Veelas. That might explain quite a bit about Veela, but that does not explain why there are still full Veelas. But you mentioned something about those with dormant blood, they must be the ones helping to keep the Veela race fully alive, so those must be the 'sort of' Veela right?"

"Oui," she grabbed another book and leafed through it, stopping at a specific page again. "This might offer a little more understanding. This book is called 'Seeds of Lust', listen to this. 'Both female and male carry the Veela gene, the genetic code making them who they are, but it is only in the female it is active. The male offspring of a Veela will carry the gene, but it will be a completely human boy, from sex appeal and appearance to capabilities. There have never been any reports of an active male Veela gene.'"

He again looked down to digest this new piece of information.

"So the male offspring of a Veela is actually completely human, but they carry this dormant Veela gene. So they carry the blood of a Veela but is still a human?"

"Yes", she said quietly. He would need time to think this through.

"Okay I think I understand it. But why tell me this? How does it concern me?"

"'Arry, have you noticed anything strange lately? Like anyone is acting strange lately?", she asked cautiously. They had finally gotten to the crux of the matter, the conclusion she had come to.

He looked at her strangely. "Now that you mention it, women seem a bit more susceptible to me…" his eyes widened. He had finally caught on. "Surely you cannot be serious. The book said it would never awaken, that such blood was dormant…"

"But I am quite certain. I have spent the entire time since I was here last till I got here again today, on researching and examining everything about this. This is the only explanation", she said calmly.

"But would it not also require me to have this gene, and I am quite sure my mother was not a Veela."

"It could have been you great-great-great-great-great grandmother for all it matters, no matter what the Veela gene always breeds true."

Silence descended upon both of them, and Fleur felt a bit awkward. But she refused to yield to her instincts who told her to hug him, and soothe his mind. He would need to come to terms with this.

"So that silver ball was…", he trailed off.

"The representation of your dormant powers awakening, yes."

"So you really think I am a…", he started but trailed off again,

"I believe you are, no I am completely certain you are in fact a male Veela," she said clearly. "The only one to ever exist."

"Well, that explains why Madam Pomfrey have been acting so scary", he said with a smile as he looked up again. It seemed she had been worried for naught.

"But luckily I can control it now", he said and the only warning she had was a devilish smile before she was assaulted by his aura.

DB -

Dumbledore leaned back in his big comfy chair and let out a big sigh.

Although the title of headmaster, especially that of Hogwarts, was a prestigious one, it still carried a lot of burdens and responsibilities. As such he rarely had time to enjoy the benefits one would reap by being one, and add the increased activity in the dark-related families and increased crime rates recently, he really was swamped with work.

Though it wasn't officially his work to deal with some of those functions, he had to take the job on his shoulders as well. The increase in activity legal and otherwise from former Death Eaters, known or not, had increased and the wizarding world was steadily becoming a darker and more dangerous. So he had taken on the mantle of protector again, and had been following the activity closely, trying to discern any form of pattern. But he could find none, and had no clue as to what they were actually doing if it was a coincidence or not.

Though he had to admit he was relieved at not finding a pattern, and that it all seemed to be done merely in random, and therefore probably had no link. But he was not senile enough or foolish enough to simply shelve the matter. That would only be stupid.

He knew Riddle was out there, all the recent major events had centered on him. The Philosopher's Stone three years ago, the 'sudden' reappearance of his diary two years ago, the attack at the Quidditch World Cup, and though the Death Eaters may not know that he was back, the world was steadily growing darker. Though nothing the likes of which was normal during Riddle's rise, it still had the touch of the same darkness, causing people to become wary as well as driving a wedge deeper and deeper in-between the races of the magical world. The progress there had been on ending werewolf segregation was almost non-existent now. Aggressiveness was increasing, hatred was nurtured and people, good and bad were creating enemies left and right.

Though nobody seemed to realize it, the world was in a poor state, and sometimes he felt like he was the only one holding it together. Many expectations were placed on him, people looked to him for guidance and he did his best to guide them. But no matter how he felt he had to admit that the wizarding world was falling to corruption, and already some of the newer generations were being corrupted, from the time they could walk. He was no fool, he knew there were quite a few Death Eaters almost certainly in training within the current members of Slytherin, but he was no fool, he knew there were others just like them in the others houses. Even Gryffindor was not impervious to this, they were cocky and quick tempered and believed themselves to be better than most, though not all, a substantial amount did.

All the houses had truly fallen, and he found there was nothing he could do. He was without a shadow of doubt certain that Riddle would return, and probably more powerful than he was the last time. The problem he faced was the same as he did then, he could not figure out how the mind of Riddle worked. Sure he knew all the general information about him, but everyone knew he was a blood purist, used violence as a tool and caused death as he wanted. He was not afraid to plunge the entire world into chaos to get what he wanted. Riddle felt above everyone, looking upon all others as insects, because he believed none could challenge him. He only had scarce knowledge of him when he went to Hogwarts. At that time he had been a brilliant and charming student, and no one would have suspected that he would become so evil, kill so many.

Dumbledore realized that he had made some mistakes that might have led Riddle onto the path he eventually walked, but he also knew that he was in no part responsible for the way he had turned out, and he knew blaming himself would not help matters, so he had set out to rectify those mistakes or the product of them.

Hopefully he could prevent as much damage from happening this time, as there had been the last time.

He popped a lemon drop into his mouth, and a small smile was playing on his lips.

He was getting too old for this.

A knock came from the door and he instantly recognized it as coming from Minerva, it was strict and prim like her, whereas that of Severus was short and sharp.

"Come in Minerva", he spoke loudly, and said woman strolled into his office. "What can I do for you tonight?", he asked in a pleasant tone.

She smiled shortly at him.

"I would like to know what you think of adding these additional subjects to the O.W.L. Transfiguration curriculum, professor", she said respectfully and handed him a few papers.

Ahh, the work of a headmaster was never truly over.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and for those who didn't get their questions answered in the Authors Note, are more than welcome to bring them up in a review.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own anything in the Harry Potter universe aside from my original characters and plot.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

The halls of the castle were always pleasantly warm.

She had to admit that the halls were less pleasant and secure to walk now that the Slytherins knew she was no longer residing in their House, though it would probably be a few days till they were completely sure. She doubted any of the Slytherin actually meant her any harm, and she was pretty confident she could handle anything they could throw at her, however there were always an idiot or two that had to try, which meant she would have to be extra wary, more so than being a Slytherin warranted.

The Slytherins had of course not revealed this little fact yet, as odds were that they would be saving it for blackmail. Most of those halfwits should be capable of coming up with such a plan, and despite her ally, it wouldn't take long for them to run over her protest and take it to the next level. If they tried to use it as blackmail they would be in for a big surprise though, as they would not only gain nothing from it, but also action they took against he would equal to taking it against her Harry, and despite his current lack of influence within the school halls, he would probably would not let such a thing lie idle.

Truth be told, Daphne couldn't be more pleased with how things had turned out. However she was rather puzzled with her behavior towards him, and while she had indeed meant to entice him, she had instead found herself the one wrapped around _finger_. The loss of restraint had been acute, but it had merely felt as an extension of her own wants, and to a point still did. Despite her unease at her own loss of control, the fact was that everything had overall happened as she expected, and now things were out of her hands.

That she would go to the end of the earth and back, walk through fire and even die for his sake didn't feel weird at all. She assumed her magic was changing her, to be able to better fulfill her Unbreakable Vow. She had come across the vow she had pledged by a long time ago, and it had originally been used to pledge a slave to a master, and the only real information she had discovered was that it would abolish any link between her and her family, which was more than she could say for any other she knew of. That the text didn't mention the side-effects were a minor nuisance, but a nuisance nonetheless. However, even though she knew she was changing she didn't care. Looking out for Harry's best had quickly become her main priority, and these changes would just make it easier for her to do so.

Harry… Her Master, it was becoming increasingly difficult not to think of him so, knew so many secret things about this school. The most amazing yet had to be the Room of Requirement. Amazing was the only word capable of describing it. It delivered what its name promised; anything she had required, though she hadn't had much time to explore at her discretion.

However grudgingly, she had to admit that it would only work temporarily as a place to stay, because someone would sooner or later happen upon this room as it was readily accessible by anyone who could find it.

So spending time to find more permanent rooms was becoming rather high on her immediate list of necessities. Perhaps she would even have to contact this house elf 'Dobby' which had been mentioned, as he might be useful. She could always obliviate him afterwards so that the location would remain secret. It was better if only the strictly necessary people knew of it.

With purposeful strides she walked down the halls towards the Transfiguration classroom. To complete the assignment from her Master she would need McGonagall's help. Although the request seemed odd, she felt not the slightest inclination to disobey, another detour from her usual self.

She enjoyed the fruits that her reputation rewarded her. People might glare at her, but they would usually not try to do anything more. She had proven what would happen to anyone who attempted to harm her, and most of the time everyone walked on eggshells around her.

It felt as wonderful as ever to think about it, so at least the Vow had not changed her completely.

Several students got out of her way, Gryffindor and Slytherin alike, as she walked into the classroom. She took a seat at the front of the class as per usual and ignored the others except to send frosty stares when they got too noisy, which said students summarily attempted to ignore. A couple of minutes later McGonagall walked into the classroom, and everyone instantly quieted down. She was known as a strict professor, and when she was present all unwelcome noise resulted in loss of house points, equally for all houses.

That was not to say that she didn't play favorites, with the Gryffindors to be exact, which mostly showed in the amount of attention she paid to certain houses during class hours. But Daphne was quite certain she would not rebut her when approached her later. So with that in hand, she would need to find ways to keep tabs on Diggory and Krum. She had a contact, albeit a reluctant one, in Hufflepuff that would be able to give her sufficient running updates about the progress of the 'Puff Champion.

The Bulgarian however would prove a bit more difficult. She was reasonably certain that their ship was well-warded, protected with various spells and nasty surprises. She could of course just disregard this and try to sneak in despite that. But that would just be stupid and unbecoming.

No, the only possible way to do it, and still do it her way, was to get a mole on the inside, and that could also yield unexpected rewards later on. That route, though, also had its own set of pitfalls. The process of luring one of the Bulgarians away from their tightly packed groups would most likely be long and arduous, but still doable.

The means of turning that person into a mole would be a problem as well, as she doubted she could bribe them and she would not be able to dig up any blackmail material in such short time. She didn't want to risk some of the less practiced spells in her repertoire that might obtain the results, but that would too easy to discover if it failed. The best way would probably be to simply place a set of memories in that persons mind, along with a compulsion charm so the person in question would send running comments on Krum's progress. However, as she had never done such a thing before, she was fairly certain that it would be a slow and dreary task, though she was confident it could be done.

The only question was who.

It would obviously have to be someone close to him, someone who would be privy to his progress in the tournament, but not someone close enough to be discovered to be under the influence of any sort of manipulation. This particular matter would take a fair bit of time and consideration, as she would have to research the all the members of the Bulgarian group. Besides, she had been allowed her to use any means she deemed necessary, and she believed that to obey the order she would probably have to use underhanded means, which meant that she would have to capture a Bulgarian and interrogate him.

Luckily for her, she was by now quite an expert at the Obliviation spell, so simply erasing the memory of her interrogation and whatever 'for fun' torment she also included that person should be quite easy. He might be a bit twitchy for a few days, but since he was a school student she didn't expect him to put up to great a fight; after all, many of her spells were out of the league of practically all normal students.

However, she was not a normal student. She had been bred to ambition, learned to manipulate and distance herself from others while learning how to walk.

"Listen up", the prim tone of the vice-headmistress drew her out of her thoughts. She would set the matter aside temporarily, but she would need to compile a list of people. McGonagall waved her hand at a bunch of stools in the corner of the room. "Today we will continue on working with transforming these footstools into mice. Please approach in an orderly fashion and get one each".

People massed up there, despite the warnings of the Transfiguration professor, and everyone was quickly set with a footstool each. She deliberately strolled up last to get her footstool, and passed Granger and that Weasley kid. The muggleborn was once again busy admonishing her companion about something or other. It wasn't as if it a new event, nor even remotely unfamiliar, actually it happened almost too often. During the years she had learned to tune them out, but for some reason she didn't seem to be able to do so today, and every word of the bushy-haired girl seemed to grate on her nerves, and the whiny voice of the ginger kid didn't do any better. It required a tremendous effort to simply just ignore them and move on.

Back in her seat she was staring at the footstool in front of her, with definite annoyance. Truth be told, she had already cast this spell before, and normally she would hold back, but today she had another spell to learn, one potentially much more difficult, so she should approach the professor as soon as possible.

She pointed her wand at the stool in front of her, and quickly jerked her hand left and the straight up while saying the incantation clearly. "Scamnum Mus".

As expected the footstool turned into a mouse, which proceeded to skitter about on her table.

McGonagall's voice again resounded in the classroom. "Ah, very good Miss Greengrass, fifteen points to Slytherin for excellent performance", she said, and Daphne was a bit surprised at the hint of a smile at the edge of older woman's mouth. In return she just inclined her head in acceptance, while inwardly she was grinning to herself. This was sure to get on that muggleborns nerves, and sure enough, as she turned around to look around the class, no one had managed to successfully transform their object yet. Granger was just staring at her in disbelief, though when she noticed Daphne looking at her she quickly averted her eyes, with an angry blush on her face. It seemed she had not forgotten the conversation they had a few days ago.

Good, because she was going to enjoy taunting and provoking her for as long as possible. When she, during one of their talks, had asked about his friends, he had bluntly and without remorse said that he was cutting ties with them. This surely meant he would have no problems with her making a sport out of taunting Granger and that Weasel. Though honestly, in his case it would probably have to be outright insults for him to pick up on it. Granger, however, should be smart enough to figure out her veiled insults, or else she had seriously misjudged the girl.

She smirked at the flustered Granger, and was inwardly a bit saddened that she had to put it on hold for now, but she had more important matters to tend to right now. It would probably prove to be a fun hobby though.

As the class started working on their footstools again, she slid out of her seat and walked to the front of the class, and faced McGonagall. She deliberately kept her voice low, though not suspiciously so, so as not to draw unwanted attention.

"Excuse me professor", she said politely, drawing the attention of said person, drawing the attention of McGonagall.

"What can I do for you Miss Greengrass?", was the prim reply, the eyes hard and boring into hers.

"I was wondering if you could help me, it is regarding a transfiguration spell I am looking for", she answered politely while still attempting to retain her aloof manner. It would not do make an enemy out of her, McGonagall could easily make the remainder of her time here at Hogwarts dreadful, but backing down wasn't an option either.

McGonagall seemed to consider her for a moment. "Might I enquire as to what spell this might be about?"

"You certainly may", she said. "Last year you showed us a spell to conjure up various musical instruments, and told us about how some people used a variant of it transfigure multiple things into an orchestra so they could hear life-like music in their own home. As I already know several senior students know it, and I was wondering if you would teach it to me."

All she could do now was to wait and hope for the best, or else she would actually have to go to one of those senior students, and she would rather not have to resort to that.

As she waited for McGonagall to study her, she got the distinct feeling of being weighed, and she found that feeling uncomfortable. It infuriated her that she anyone even indirectly implied that she might not be adequate. However, she quickly calmed herself down again, and no emotions showed on her face at all. The professor had done nothing to even hint at having such a disposal, and granted, McGonagall choosing to mull this over was not in the least unusual, what with her normally keeping her knowledge and capabilities hidden, and normally only show the skills needed to be at the top of the mediocrity in any class.

McGonagall seemed to have reached a decision, as she gave a tiny nod mostly to herself. "Yes Miss Greengrass I know of the spell you are talking about, and you might understand why I am hesitating to teach it to you, when normally only seventh years are assumed to have the skill and finesse necessary to learn such a spell, and even then it is not a spell on the normal Transfiguration curriculum."

Daphne refrained from saying anything as she could feel a 'but' coming up.

"But, I see no reason not to allow you to try your hands at this. As you are actually trying to transfigure objects within the harmless branch of Transfiguration magic it should be safe enough", McGonagall rose and gestured for her to follow her. The eyes of a few students were locked onto the two of them, or probably mostly her, as she followed the professor. Most notable were that of Granger, who looked outright confused, while Professor McGonagall walked to the side of the classroom to a door leading to an adjoining room.

"This room is normally used for large scale transfiguration such as the one you are insisting on attempting", she explained as she swept into the, until now, unexplored classroom. Daphne nodded curtly in understanding, as she followed her in and instantly realized why this room was used exactly for that.

This room was like being outside, on a barren rocky patch of land, and the place stretched as far as the eye could see. She suspected that it was an optical illusion, just like the roof of the Great Hall, which it appeared had also been applied to this room. The reason the room was perfect for large scale transfiguration was because of all the rocks scattered across the place, all differed from small pebbles to large boulders, and though not the easiest matter to transform, it was also not the most difficult, and therefore provided with better training possibilities, as well as making it actually easier to progress.

She was more than confident that she could manage the spell without too much trouble. She already knew that large scale spells, as opposed to focused spells, needed more focus, and she had no real problem in that department.

She turned to regard the professor, who in turn was also regarding her.

"Before I begin I would like you to know, that while single transfiguration might seem easy, large scale spells are significantly more difficult. The missing link between a spell such as this and the one with a single focus you have been taught, is concentration. School students such as you by default are not considered able to muster enough concentration to actually perform such spell. That is why we usually wait with teaching spells that effects multiple targets till the final year, most students are only able concentrate to that extent at that point, and still then some are not able, so it is not part of the curriculum."

"I understand, but I still wish to attempt", Daphne replied politely, she would have to learn it; it was an order after all.

"Very well Miss Greengrass, since you seem to be so insistent on learning this, I see no reason not to allow it, as it is a harmless spell. But you should know that this is the only time I will be able to teach it to you, so I expect you to pay attention as I demonstrate it."

"Thank you ma'am", she said dutifully. She was after all expected to be a respectful good girl. "I'm very grateful."

"Good now watch closely", the strict professor said and pulled out her own wand. "The movements are simple and you should easily get the hang of it. They are like this", she said and swirled her wand counter-clockwise and jabbed upwards. "The incantation is 'Multimodus Organum Converto', now watch me do the spell."

McGonagall turned away from her and faced the bare plain littered with rocks. She did the wands movements and muttered the spell and the rocks in front of her transformed into a dozen various instruments.

Daphne couldn't help but be impressed, though she also knew that the elderly woman in front of her had had many decades to perfect her skills, but skill was to be reognized.

"Remember the way to properly employ this spell is concentration and also keep a firm image of the instruments you want conjured in your mind", she said and walked towards the door they had entered. It was standing out in the middle of nowhere. Strange how she hadn't noticed it before.

"That reminds me", the professor said and turned around again. "I had planned several lessons for the spell the rest of the class is learning now. Since you already seem to be able to cast it without any problem I see no problem if you spend your time in here working on this spell, or help out your housemates."

If Daphne had been more naive, she might have thought the elderly woman was trying to be friendly with her, but she knew that she wanted her out of her hair. She figured it was because she suspected she was holding back, and her performance today didn't exactly alleviate the problem or maybe it was because she was so unlike other students, more cool and detached. Truth be told, she couldn't call up the will to care, as she truly didn't care for the woman.

"Thank you professor", she said. "For both the time and a place to work as well. I am sure it will prove to be important."

The prim woman gave a curt nod and exited the room, leaving her alone with in the seemingly never ending plains. It was a pleasantly quiet place and she was sure she would enjoy it here, if she would have needed more time to learn this spell. She had spells in her repertoire that made this one seem like child's play, and they packed a mean punch, and she was no stranger to large scale spells, she had after all been performing them for almost two years.

She drew forth her own wand, swirled it and jabbed upwards, as demonstrated by McGonagall, and muttered 'Multimodus Organum Converto' as well, while only focusing on picturing the instruments she wanted conjured forth.

A light shot out of her wand, and spread out and hit a wide area, and she was not surprised to see several instruments was the result of her first time using the spell. Though she frowned at the remaining rocks that were caught halfway between their previous state and the one they were meant to be.

Annoyance started bubbling inside her when it took another two tries before she had the spell down, but she was confident it could be taught to her Master without too much hassle.

However, she had no intention of helping her fellow students. 'Why spend all that time and effort helping competition?' So she might as well get back out there to the rest of them, and pretend she had been unable to perform the spell. She needed to keep a close watch on the students. These last couple of weeks the enmity of the student body towards her Master had increased and she wanted to know if any had any malignant intentions towards him, and in case there was, how to stop it before it came to be.

Though they would not have gone to such measures as violence before, he had also become more prone to face confrontations, and she had discovered on several occasions these last couple of weeks how confrontational he had become.

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, it didn't matter to him. Part of it she had deducted from watching him for some time. She knew he no longer cared about the different houses. He knew of the alienation between the houses, and she suspected that he would capitalize on that, and the most brilliant part of it all was that no one would expect it. No one would expect the golden boy to use such underhanded tricks, and therefore they would never see it coming.

She credited this knowledge as another effect of the vow she had taken.

She couldn't help but grin as she stepped out of the room, and surveyed the students, all split up in small groups, attempting to transfigure the footstool with varying degrees of success. They wouldn't know what hit them. She had once read that the most efficient tactic of warfare was not to face your opponents directly but play them against one another, and this applied to real life as well. Right now her Master was still too naïve to even think of doing such a thing, but that didn't mean she was.

She would be the snake that poured sugarcoated venom in their ears and directed their frustrations. She would line up the players, like domino pieces, and when she had them, she would give that tiny nudge that would cause a chain reaction. Beforehand she had not seen any need to actively influence the on goings in school, but she had a strange feeling that he would find amusement in the mayhem she could cause, and it was not as if she actually was against pitting friends against each other.

Quickly painting on a somber smile, she walked back to her seat, again noticing the stares following her, sat down and pulled out a book, at first glance it was just their 4th year Charms book, and no one but her would notice the difference, but that was because she had charmed it to only show that any else but her. In truth it was one of the books she expected to be tutoring Harry in soon enough, and though she had already learned what she found useful in them, she was brushing up on the content for the sake of being better equipped at teaching it.

Unfortunately for her, despite her reputation and her frigid exterior, some still didn't get the hints that she wanted to be left by herself and one such as those would be Draco Malfoy, who despite all signs, still had the gall to approach her, although admittedly she didn't know if it was truly just sheer stupidity.

"What did McGonagall want with you Greengrass?", Draco asked, for all the world as if he expected her to actually answer him. The boy wouldn't know finesse if it struck him with a chair.

She turned her icy stare on him, and was happy to see him actually gulp, though he didn't back down. She would show him at some point that the money and influence of his father wasn't everything, though it did get him the two stupid goons flanking him.

"What is it to you Malfoy?", she asked coolly. "As far as I know I know, this is nothing that concerns you."

"I decide what concerns me or not Greengrass", he snapped. Clearly patience was another virtue he had never possessed.

She narrowed her eyes. This miserable excuse for a Slytherin was actually trying to bully her. She had at least thought that he would at least have some common sense. But she knew playing the coolheaded persona would be far more infuriating for him, than a heated discussion, and she wouldn't do that until she could inflict some serious damage to him.

"Oh really, when did that become official?", she asked in as laidback a tone as she could while still maintaining her image. "Or maybe I have not been very observant lately."

"You should learn to pick your enemies better Greengrass", he hissed at her. "Some you are better off not having."

"Oh, whatever do you mean Malfoy?", she replied innocently.

His eyes narrowed in anger. "You will not be happy when my father learns of…"

"When you father learns of this?", she cut him off. "You truly are an idiot Malfoy. Even if your father chose to actively take a part of your petty little power play, which I doubt, then do you really think I am scared of him? Your father might have the ear of the minister, but my family could bankrupt yours in a matter of weeks." She put a finger on her chin in mock-thought. "Though it is true that your father helps you a lot, as evidenced by him buying you a spot on the Slytherin Quidditch team."

Draco's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, to Daphne's endless amusement.

"Daphne you should beware of whom you anger, you would not want the wrong people to know that you have not been staying in the house dorm the last couple of days. Besides who knows what could happen to you wandering these dark corridors at night."

"Draco", she said in a dangerously low tone. "You really should be careful of what you say, the dark corridors of this castle is equally dangerous for anyone. All the places to hide something, places people will never find."

He huffed and turned away. "Whatever."

Her voice remained low, but she was sure he heard it, though he showed no sign of it. "You are the one who should be careful about making an enemy of me."

The rest of the classes were fairly boring, and nothing of interest occurred.

DB -

The Ravenclaw common room seemed both more lively and yet more depressing, a strange ambivalent feeling, but nonetheless it was there.

The entire day since she had awoken, which was not more than an hour ago at max, she had assaulted by enquiry after enquiry about the progress of the egg, and she once again found herself cornered, this time by one of her own schoolmates.

All before breakfast.

"How far have you gotten with that egg", she asked. "I hear that Krum has already figured out the secret."

Fleur couldn't help but be surprised at the straightforwardness of this girl, though almost every single one of her schoolmates had at one point or another told her in no uncertain terms that she was their representative, so she had better act like it.

Although Maxine had shown her the dragons and told her of the objective of the first task beforehand, she was sure the other competitors had received similar treatments, and they were probably sure to know of the other tasks beforehand as well, but she doubted she would now, as she was now on less than friendly terms with her headmistress. But luckily for her she already had a clue as to the second task, and she would devote some time to figuring it out.

"I have a clue as to what this task is about, and I am confident that I will be ready for the next task when it comes."

Her answer was the same she had given to the others who had asked during the morning, luckily most had already left for breakfast, so despite the remaining girls, Beauxbaton and Ravenclaw alike, she could set out at her own pace.

"Of course you will. You represent Beauxbaton, so you have to be ready. You carry the pride of our school, so don't disappoint us", the girl said and left the room.

Fleur shook her head. Everyone from Beauxbaton who had approached today had left with that same message, albeit with varying attitudes, though she was not really surprised as everyone was acting as she had expected them to. Louise was the only one who openly voiced her belief that she would shame the school, though she had her usual bunch of yes-sayers wandering around with her. Besides it was not as if she really cared about their opinion, and Louise knew she should refrain from doing anything to hinder her progress, lest she wanted Maxine to swoop down on her.

She grabbed her book on magical languages and left the few remaining Ravenclaw and Beauxbaton behind.

Today promised to be a good day and from what she could see of the sky, through one of the passing windows, the weather was sunny and even now she could see a few students wandering the grounds.

She would need to find a place away from prying eyes where she in peace and quiet could sit down and go over the magical languages, the only question was where.

The crowd grew denser as she got to the Great Hall, and so did the attention piled on her. But she hardly noticed it on this wonderful day, made even better by how great the one yesterday had been. It had gone better than she could have imagined.

So joyfully she strode into the Great Hall, to partake in the disgusting but tasty feast that was known as breakfast at Hogwarts. Again she sat at the Ravenclaw table with her fellow Beauxbaton students and, completely disregarded the glare from Louise, ate merrily.

As with many of the other mornings the day's topic of discussion was the Tri-Wizard tournament, and by association the contestants.

"I heard that Harry will be doing his task in about a week", the melodious voice of Louise began, and shot a brief glance at Fleur, who was a bit suspicious of how she knew such a thing. Such details were, after all, only to be released to the student body a couple of days before the actual event. But she kept silent.

Another tall willowy girl, with short cropped black hair, quickly picked up the conversation however.

"Harry is it now?", she said in a teasing tone to Louise, who just gave her a warning glance causing the girl to hold up her hands in surrender. "Just kidding."

"I heard he is being released from the hospital wing today. I might go and greet him", Louise said in a faraway voice, as she gazed listlessly into space.

"Why?", another brunette asked, and was backed by a small choir of voices.

"None of your business", Louise responded in that faraway voice.

Though most students were a bit wary of Louise, none actually feared her, so naturally none would back down. Besides Louise appeared unnaturally docile today.

"Trying to mark you territory, are you?", the girl then shuddered. "Not that I can blame you for trying. He has a certain thing about him that just makes you believe he will sweep you off your feet."

Another girl nodded her agreement. "Yes, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on him. That roguish look is delightful."

A short brown-haired witch smiled. "And I bet with a bit of working out he would be unfairly hot", she then sighed. "Though some English girl probably already has her claws in him."

The willowy black-haired girl clicked her tongue in exasperation. "Do you ever read? According to Teen Witch's Weekly he is the single most eligible bachelor in England right now", the girl grinned deviously. "Besides even if some poor English trollop has her hands on him now, we would just have to apply some of our adorable French charm."

She laughed delightfully and adopted a seemingly innocent pose, which turned quite a few male heads.

The group of French girls giggled, and Fleur couldn't help but grimace at the fickle minds of these girls, and when she shook her head she didn't see Louise make the same face.

This would however prove to be annoying. She could imagine how they would act when they face the now-awakened male Veela.

Though he would probably enjoy the attention; after all he was a red blooded male. They were hardly any competition for her usually, Harry was not prey, he was a predator, and these girls would be surprised when they found the tables turned on them.

But in that regard where did she stand? Her Veela aura was barely efficient against him, though she would never be as foolish to let that be her only asset. She could still play this game as well as the next, so this more or less just evened the playing field, or it at least would have. But she had yet to find a way to tap into that fount of Veela power that she had wielded when Harry had started his awakening.

If she could access that again at will she would almost assuredly win. Though she would undoubtedly have to make a trip to visit her Veela core, but as of right now her main focus had to be this school tournament. That, however, didn't exclude the possibility of tinkering with her abilities. She had, after all, told Harry just a couple of days ago to make use of everything he could, so she might as well follow her own advice.

The excited and somewhat lewd chatter raged on throughout breakfast, skimming over not only Harry, but a series of guys from Hogwarts.

She truly was amazed at how fickle these girls were, but then again they were teenage girls still.

A few minutes later found her sitting at the edge of the lake, amazingly enough without anyone at all to bother her. This was a rarity since she arrived at Hogwarts, it was like rain after a long drought, and it was very much needed.

It seemed the day just got better.

She soon found a seat in the group of a small crop of trees close to the lake, and put down both the egg as well as the book.

Putting the egg aside for now, she opened the book and skimmed to the part of magical languages. Each and every language had a small box describing how the language would sound to human ears, as well as a sort of 'play' function, that played a set sentence in that language. It was by doing this that she set about trying to identify the language spoken when the egg was opened. She knew without a doubt that it was a language, though not which one.

A good thirty minutes later, filled with everything from sounds that felt like a caress to keening, probably reminiscent of a banshee shriek, she still hadn't found her answer and she sighed in annoyance. Maybe it was just too much to expect that she would be able to keep her attention on the work in front of her, especially after she had just spent so many hours staring at pages in her own private research. Or maybe the day just wasn't meant to be spent with her nose in a book.

She idly flipped the page hoping the answer might be on the next one, but alas, she had no such luck. Folding the corner of the page, marking where she had come to, she closed the book, picked up her egg and walked back to the school.

She might as well keep her eyes on Louise. Because it was while the playing field was even that she would need to be careful, and keep an eye on her, and there was no time like the present. From what she knew the others would be having Defense against the Dark Arts right now.

She shuddered at the image of that extremely weird and paranoid professor; furthermore his magical whizzing eye gave her the creeps. She had heard of such magical items before, they could be spelled to do a magnitude of things, from having night vision and heat vision, to only picking up movements and looking through things, like walls and clothing. There were even rumors that some could be spelled to view magical residue left after spells.

As she reentered the castle she noted the absence of activity in the halls, which would probably have to be credited to classes having just started. She hurried her steps, hoping to get to the classroom before the class got truly started, not that she really had any need for it. As she had explained to Harry the students of Beauxbaton actually had their final exams at the end of their sixth year, and they had what equaled to seven years of Hogwarts knowledge compiled into six years in their own school.

So it was not as if she was really missing out on anything important, sure they might not have completely corresponding curriculums, but the differences should be minimal.

If her memory served her correctly, then the classroom should be right around the corner, and sure enough as she turned the corner she spotted that weird professor as he strode into a classroom. She quickly closed the distance between her and the door, and slid it open as silently as possible, and crept into the room.

"No need for sneaking Miss Delacour", she jumped a bit at being noticed, but much more so at the rough unrefined voice of Alastor Moody as well as the fact that the entire classroom was now staring openly at her. "Find a seat."

She didn't wait to find a seat, and unfortunately for her, or probably fortunately, considering why she was there in the first place, the only available seat was next to Louise. As she walked towards her seat, she allowed her gaze to wander across the classroom; it was far bigger than the last time she had been here, and from she could tell, there was eight times the normal number of students present, seemed everyone from Harry's age and up to seventh years were there, including a few teachers besides Moody. She could even see his friends here, the bushy haired girl and the red haired boy, both looking at her. The somewhat beseeching look on the girls face intrigued her slightly, but not enough to actually approach her about it.

It was almost funny how radically different people could be and still be friends. These were a perfect example, one a busybody, meddling in everything she could get her hands on, smartest witch in her year and absolutely annoying to spend any time around, the other a slop, prone to bouts of jealousy, mediocre in most subjects at best, but equally annoying. They had no common ground, at least none but Harry, but still she could see how they would balance each other out.

Harry had told her many things about his life and who he associated with, but then again not really anything at all. However, it had quickly become apparent that he harbored no feelings for his past at all.

In some way she envied him, he had had his slate wiped clean. He had been born anew, twice over, by embracing his true self and by the awakening of his instincts. He was going to be who he wanted to be, though it might take some time for him to embrace it, no one could deny their instincts. Of course for this to be true, he would have to shed his old life, though from what she had observed that had not really been that awfully hard. The redhead and bushy haired girl had seemed to be silently receding from his life over the course of a couple of months, and the announcement of him as a Tri-Wizard champion merely seemed to have been the latest push.

She like any other person in Hogwarts, despite only having been there a limited amount of time, had seen and heard of the Golden Trio, though she had been severely disappointed when she saw them. She could see that they had been using each other as crutches, but she like anyone else could also see the cracks forming.

"ATTENTION", professor Moody suddenly screamed causing all students to jump to attention. His presence had a sort of fear-inducing feeling, his personality screamed; paranoid, delusional maniac and his actions spoke the exact same words. But it was like he was forcing himself every time he was teaching, and she knew this despite having only attended a few of his other lectures.

However she, like everyone else, stood straight when Moody stared at her.

"You might wonder why we have gathered all of you here today. Well the answer is simple. MERRINGTON, GRIDER", he suddenly yelled at a pair of young boys, who had been gossiping among themselves. Only his normal eyes focused on the two boys, his magical one was still spinning around wildly only briefly focusing on a student only to continue spinning a second later. "YOU WILL PAY ATTENTION."

The two boys quickly sat up straight, and stared at the professor with slightly fearful looks.

"Good, now that I have your attention", he said and fixed his eyes on the class again. "This year, in correspondence with the Tri-Wizard tournament, we will also be hosting a cross school Dueling Tournament."

Immediately the class broke down into excited chatter and for a few seconds chaos reigned supreme, as students talked among themselves. Though there were some that just kept their cool, and just seemed to be thinking the entire situation through.

"SILENCE", Moody shouted again, and once again earned the attention of everyone in the room, though he seemed to be at the end of his ropes. Clearly he was not used this sort of atmosphere, which made Fleur wonder why he was even chosen as a teacher to begin with.

He sent a glance at a diminutive professor, this school Charms teacher, who quickly stood up in front of the class as Moody withdrew to the back of the room with a mutter of 'stupid brats'.

"Right", the little professor squeaked. "As Professor Moody said we will be hosting a dueling tournament as well, but as this tournament is set to be held in sometime in the immediate start of the new year we have decided we will restart the dueling club we had two years ago. Though kindly note that this will only affect this class period, and anyone who is further interested in the tournament or formal dueling has to sign up for the club which will be headed by me, professor Snape and professor Moody."

Flitwick cleared his throat. "Furthermore this tournament will also be split up into two categories; fourth and fifth years will be participating in the Second Rank, whereas the sixth and seventh years will be in the First Rank. This is not to discriminate between our students, but we acknowledge that due to their level of education that some will be on another level than the others."

He looked around for a second. "Will everyone please move to the sides of the room?"

Fleur, like the rest of the students, did as instructed and quickly filed to the sides of the room. It didn't take anyone with half a brain to figure out what the professor intended, and she wasn't very surprised when he transfigured all the chairs and desks in the middle of the room into a dueling platform. It was actually a fairly easy transfiguration when one had been in the business of magic as long as Flitwick had, but somehow one would never expect him to do it. Not that she believed him unable to, but it just wouldn't have occurred to her until now.

The students all looked awed, but that quickly died down, as they were all herded closer to the dueling platform. Both professor Snape and Flitwick got onto the dueling podium, and turned to face the students.

"Also in addition to the two brackets for this dueling tournament, we will also be dividing you into four separate ladders; this is due to the amount of students we expect will be willing to compete in this cross school dueling tournament. Every student will be randomly divided in each ladder to ensure that there is no undue interference", professor Flitwick said.

"This podium and several other similar to this will be used in other classrooms as well after we have divided you into the ladders I mentioned before. They will be used as a means to demonstrate as well as practice on. But it will not only be practical lessons, because as most of you know there is a strict set of rules for professional dueling which must be upheld, which means we will dedicate a few lessons to this end", he explained. "Beyond that, it is simply just dueling and bettering your performance. Remember, we expect fair play, and any using curses that have been deemed illegal or extremely dark in nature will result in an instant ban from the tournament, and possibly further ramifications."

Then the little professor suddenly lit up in a big smile. "So let's all have as much fun as we can."

The greasy professor coughed sharply to gain the attention of the students, and it cut clear through any noise that had sprung up. "Now that I have your attention", he said sharply. "Will all 6th and 7th years follow professor Flitwick, he will take you to another classroom where you will be given the last information about this tournament. The 4th and 5th will all remain here."

Fleur could help the quiet laugh that escaped her, she almost felt sorry for Harry's friends. To have to put up with both the greasy professor and the paranoid one was just plain bad luck, not that it mattered much to her. She couldn't find it in herself to summon any sort of pity for them. They had almost all too willingly thrown Harry's friendship aside, and that, more than anything else, spurned any sort of compassion she might have felt.

She along with the remaining 6th and 7th year students filed out the door, following after the small professor, winding through the corridors. She could see Louise's hair a little further up, closer to the front of this little procession, and she was occasionally exchanging words with her friends, as well as trying to look inconspicuous as she looked around the place.

She was clearly up to something, but what is was she didn't know, though she could hazard a guess, though if it did come to that, then she would be ready for it.

The professor was actually surprisingly fast for such a little fellow, and within minutes they had entered another classroom, almost a complete copy of the first room, where another dueling strip was already set up. Flitwick ushered them all to the edge of the platform and somehow managed to get up on it, as well and turned to the mass of people.

"Is everyone here?", he asked, but didn't seem genuinely interested in the answer as he almost immediately continued. "Great. As I mentioned before, this tournament will be held in two separate levels First Rank and Second Rank, with four ladders in each rank. Now, before we begin I would like to stress that this tournament is completely voluntary, and you don't have to feel forced into this. If you don't want to attend, you may leave now and bring me a note one of the following days telling me who you are and so on. Understood?"

Upon saying this several students broke out from the larger group and proceeded towards the door, but surprisingly many still remained.

She herself knew she didn't have time to attend this tournament as well as the Tri-Wizard tournament and still have a pleasant schedule, and it was easy to see which tournament would benefit her the most in the longer run. The publicity of being the Tri-Wizard winner would boost whatever career she wanted in the future, and she doubted this tournament even yielded any sort of reward.

But this however meant that she would be unable to keep an eye on Louise, and Harry was about to be released right about now. But the problem was however, that she had already lost sight of her quarry. She should be standing out in this crowd, and therefore it was with frustration that Fleur had to admit that she must have slipped past her when the other students chose not to participate. Odds were that she had hidden herself among that group.

She took one last quick scan of the people around, and was annoyed to realize that she had been fooled, and even more annoyed at the dirty smirks Louise's friends threw at her, apparently she had been planning this, and she felt foolish for being taken by surprise by this.

So since she had already decided that she wasn't going to participate she strode purposefully out the door, making her way to the infirmary, as that was most definitely where Louise was going. She knew that Louise wasn't just playing a game, mostly because she had never shown any interest in men at all, and for her to show any now just proved that either she thought she could somehow beat her in that regard or she was genuinely interested in him.

If it was the latter then she would be willing to go further than she had done so far, and it would only be fueled by their rivalry.

The corridors were void of any people, and the only sound she heard were the sound of students when she passed classrooms that were in use. Nothing disturbed her trek to the Hospital Wing.

As she crossed through the door to the wing she saw Madam Pomfrey sitting at her desk, so with some effort she plastered a sweet smile on her face and approached the nurse.

"Excuse me Madame Pomfrey. But is 'Arry still here?", Fleur asked in a friendly tone.

Madam Pomfrey looked up at her with unreadable eyes, as though weighing her, but she nonetheless answered. "No Miss Delacour, he left a couple of minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't run into him while you were on your way here."

Fleur felt a shudder run down her spine, and she ran across the hall to Harry's bed, bypassing several beds with sick students, and stopped abruptly when she could see his bed.

It was empty.

He had left already.

DB -

Daphne watched all the older students file out of the room, following behind Flitwick, and she was honestly annoyed at having to be left behind with Snape and Moody, arguably the two worst professors in this school. She would have much preferred to be taught by Flitwick, he was after all a renowned professional duelist, albeit his demeanor probably made teaching a little harder.

Though she doubted he could add anything much to her style, at least spell wise, and she was confident she could beat all the people in this Rank without too much trouble. If they hadn't been split into ranks she might have some exploited this to allow her to gain a mole on the Bulgarian ship, but that chance was all but shot now, and would continue to be unless she could be enrolled in the First Rank, and she doubted the professors would allow that.

As it was now the trouble with Krum still remained unresolved, and it annoyed her to no end, but grudgingly she had to admit that the Bulgarians did look after their own, and more so their country's number one seeker.

She could see Granger talking the Weasley's ear off, probably explaining all the different aspects of professional dueling without a doubt. But he seemed awfully pouty and grumpy, not responding to anything she said with anything but a few shrugs of his shoulder. But he couldn't disguise the excitement he felt, as she could see it in the way he raptly paid attention to everything the two professors did despite him despising one of them and probably not being very fond of the other one.

"Okay. Today we will go over the more common jinxes and harmless curses used in dueling", Moody barked. "But before that…"

His beady eye looked out over the mass of students as he took a swig of the small metal container he carried with him. "Those who do not feel like participating can leave right away and bring me a note at our next class", he commanded.

Daphne almost snorted as he watched the lack of people leaving, though there were a few that simply couldn't muster the enthusiasm about this tournament to actually leave versus the dread of dealing with both Snape and Moody. Granted both were great at what they were doing, but quite a few didn't like the way they taught. So more lesson with them didn't that much appeal.

Of course as she joined the selfsame group that was about to depart the room she was not surprised to see a few key people still remaining. Of course, despite Snape still being there only a minimal amount of Gryffindors that left the place, and even though Ravenclaw were said to be the smartest, they still had an urge to prove themselves, just like everyone else, though maybe not as pronounced as the Gryffindors did. Draco was standing around looking smug as he snuck glances at their head of house Snape, as if he would get preferential treatment, and he probably would, though the presence of Moody would stop it from going over the top.

The Weasley was already throwing dirty glances at Malfoy. It seemed some things never changed.

The group that left mainly consisted of Hufflepuffs, and only a few from the other houses were actually present. It wasn't that Hufflepuff were spineless people, they just tended to avoid confrontation, which as such were a smart enough move of them, but unfortunately it also made them seem weak, and therefore increased the chances of being picked upon. But luckily for them, their house was built on the belief of teamwork and friendship.

Not that she wouldn't take advantage of them if the need arose, because she would, that sort of reliance was just like begging to be exploited.

Quickly leaving the others behind, it seemed only a few other Slytherin had chosen to leave the tournament as well besides her, which wasn't that surprising.

One of them being her 'friend', who had finally decided to man up and pull her aside, which was why she a few seconds after breaking away from the main group found herself pulled into an empty classroom and confronted by an annoyed redhead, who seemed to be more than partially angry.

It was quite understandable, as she had probably been working overtime to ensure that the Slytherin wouldn't do anything uncalled for.

"Hello Daphne", she said evenly.

"Why hello Tracey", she replied cheerfully. After all, she had no reason to be down, all had gone according to her plan, and she had nothing to fear anymore, and she no longer needed this girl as an ally, but not needing and not wanting was different. She might find a use for her later, or her Master might. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to know why you haven't been in the Slytherin dorm these last couple of days", she snapped. "Do you know how hard it was to cover for you? Parkinson has been itching to take this to the Head of House, and I've done everything I could so far to stop her. But I won't do this anymore, not if I don't know what's going on."

She smiled at her. "Of course Parkinson would do that, but we both know that she doesn't have the guts to try me. She's only hoping to cause some trouble for me. But you already know this, so you're just interested in knowing _why_ I'm not there."

Tracey seemed momentarily put off, but Daphne gave her no time to reply. "You know all you had to do was ask. Of course, I might not tell the truth, but how would you know without first asking me?"

Tracey huffed. "So why aren't you in the dorm anymore? I know that you are aware of the consequences if you were discovered, and I also know that you wouldn't risk this if you didn't have a reason. So why?"

"Oh, but I would be a fool to tell you everything wouldn't I? But I think you deserve to know a bit at least", she said as she walked to an empty seat in the classroom, and waved to the chair in front of her to indicate for Tracey to sit as well, which she did grudgingly.

"So spill it, why is it you are taking all these risks right now?", she said with a calm she hadn't possessed only seconds prior.

"Well, I can only tell you so much. But I think you deserve to know that I'm no longer part of the Greengrass family, and I will no longer have the same influence as I used to from that side anymore. I however have gained access to an almost literal fount of power, above that of the Greengrass' and it is only days until the entire world will know the truth. So you'll have to wait for the full story until then", she said, ignoring the gob smacked face of Tracey.

"But you should also know that selling me out would be a very bad move, and I will know if you do since only you and one other person knows of this", she said and sent her acquaintance a sharp glance. She would not underestimate Tracey, but she also needed to put her in place. She wouldn't give her the impression that she could somehow gain from this situation.

Tracey however wasn't scared that easily and simply returned her stare with an inquisitive one of her own. "So I assume that this other person that knows is the reason that you have come into such a 'position' of power. I assume it must be someone in this school and for some reason I hardly doubt it could be any of the professors, since none can hope to match up the influence that the Greengrass family have, official or not. So that really only leaves two choices…"

Daphne couldn't help but smile, as it really didn't matter if she knew or not. "So care to tell me what conclusion you've reached?"

"Either you have struck some sort of deal with Dumbledore, though I hardly doubt that to be the case, since he would be more than suspicious of you suddenly turning to him for help, even to the point of giving up your family in all but blood", she said, understanding dawning on her face.

"However, as I said I highly doubt that's the case. So the only other way to gain influence to the point that you speak of would be through the Golden Boy wouldn't it? But his opinion is not really what people are interested in right now", she said with a frown.

"But now you're not looking beyond this school, because I am, and you should know that this is only a phase the school is going through. In the world outside he is still the Boy-Who-Lived, and people look to him for hope. But as for the school… Well, when enough time has gone by, they will look to him again, but I quite confident they will be shocked when they do…", she trailed off with a devious smile.

"What? Have you done anything to him?", she asked, not outraged at the thought, merely intrigued.

"Oh, that's the beauty of it all. I haven't done anything. He has the potential to be more devious beyond our imaginations, I can _feel_ it. When the time comes and the world turns to him for help, he will make them eat each and every word and he _will_ milk the situation for all it's worth. Because in the outside world he still holds as much sway now as he did the day he defeated Voldemort."

Daphne smiled wistfully at Tracey, despite said girl shuddering at the mention of the dreaded wizard's name. "His potential is unreal Tracey, it's seems almost beyond comprehension. He will sweep the floor with any competition he gets; all he needs is a little training, and guess where I come in, in this little plan?"

"Do you really think this will work? Sure he has potential, all can see that. But that pacifist nature of his hinders him, keeps him from progressing, do you really think you can take Dumbledore's Golden Boy away from that path? For all intents and purposes you've just become a tool of Dumbledore."

Daphne smile grew absolutely demonic. "You don't understand, because you haven't seen it. You haven't seen him, not truly. He is not in Dumbledore's grasp, he is possibly as far from it as one could ever get", she said with an intent look in her eyes. "He goes his own ways and I doubt anyone could truly control him. It's true that he might have been clouded by the foolish ideals of a Gryffindor at one point, but that is no longer the case. He no longer cares. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Huffelpuff and Ravenclaw alike, he will tear them all down if they oppose him. All he needs is just a little nudge in the right direction."

Tracey looked doubtfully at her. "That doesn't really sound like him, if he had the potential to be like that wouldn't we have noticed it, and wouldn't the Sorting Hat also have noticed it? I doubt he would put anyone into Gryffindor who had an ounce of such a nature?"

Daphne got a thoughtful look on her face. "You've seen how he's been changing lately, how his entire attitude and demeanor have gradually changed after he was chosen as champion. I know you have seen the change in him, everyone has."

Daphne got up and went to the one window in the classroom, and looked out over the grounds. Several of the students who had been let go from the dueling tournament introduction had made their way to the grounds, and she could see the Giant Squid lazing around on the shore of the lake.

She sighed.

For Hogwarts it was a perfect day, however they no idea what was coming, but something definitely was. Even she had no idea as to what was truly happening, all she knew was that former Death Eaters had been making contact with each other again, of course discretely. But something was brewing and this was partially what had spurred her on and made her make her move at that point. It was also due to the fact that she needed to contact him early for her offer to seem most viable.

"I have spent many hours these last couple of days talking with him, getting to know him and his past. Do you know anything about how he lived before he came here?", she asked, back turned to the Slytherin.

"No, nobody does really, though I suspect he didn't live a sheltered and pampered life, I think his attitude shows that. Actually he seemed absolutely starved for attention when he first came here, but I guess that Granger girl and the Weasel helped fix that, as well as Dumbledore taking him under his wings. Whoever he was sent to after his parents' death surely didn't pay much attention to him, which makes me wonder which witch and wizard actually took care of him", Tracey responded.

"He never lived with any witch or wizard. Harry didn't know about the magical world until he turned eleven and got his Hogwarts letter. He actually did live with family, his aunt and uncle, as well as his cousin, who're all muggles. That only partially explains his ignorance about magic at the time. You see, his aunt knew about magic, she would, what with her sister being a witch and all", she explained. "What we, the magical world, don't know is that his family despised magic. Hated it from the bottom of their hearts, and of course they let this frustration out on him as a constant reminder how much they despised it."

Daphne could hear her companion gulp slightly. "Yes, Harry's childhood has been far from a fairytale. But he says he's put it all behind him now, and doesn't seem to be lying. I don't know if I could, but he has. But his childhood has hardened him beyond anything the wizarding world could have hoped to do. I don't know if Dumbledore did it intentionally, or if it was just a fluke, but we both know that he has his reasons for doing it."

Calling her Master by his true name left a sour taste in her mouth, but it was his command, so she would follow it, and it was getting increasingly harder to think of his by his name.

She turned back to her companion. "The 'him' you see now is the true him, or the shadow of him. He is letting it all hang out now, and I get the impression that Hogwarts is not the place for him. To be frank then I don't know if he will even stay to finish his education, only time will tell."

Tracey stared evenly at her. "You say that as if you don't have any say in the matter. Surely you are more than capable of influencing him, and make him pick what you want."

Daphne smiled indulgently at her. "You are drawing conclusions now. Sure I have access to his political influence now. But that doesn't mean I can control him, I never will. He won't allow himself to be controlled by anyone", she then grazed Tracey with a warning glare. "And I won't allow anyone to take advantage of him, nor try to trick him."

Tracey just gazed warily at her, but didn't reply to the remark, but simply put forth the question Daphne knew she had been dying to ask. "So are you going to tell me how you did this?"

"No. This is the part that not even you will be allowed to know. Odds are that the truth will be out soon enough so, so you just have to wait like everyone else. So…"

Daphne walked to the door and looked back at Tracey. "If you'll excuse me, I have things I need to do. See you around."

As she left Tracey behind, she couldn't help but be cheerful, though none of it showed on her face. She knew that this would come eventually, but it still felt good to get it out of the way. It felt like she now truly had cut any ties to her previous life, and she could now fully devote herself to her Master.

Of course there was still the minor issue with her family, but one way or another that would be resolved soon and she would be willing to bet that they would be less than pleased with the current situation, but the end was already determined. But regardless, they were sure to throw a fit over this. They might even bring the headmaster into the matter, actually if she knew her father well; he would almost assuredly bring the headmaster into the entire deal.

Not that it would change anything, but it would be a less than pleasant ride.

She had actually been lying to Tracey; she didn't have much to do, at least not anything immediate. The deal with the Bulgarian champion was of course still important, but not so much that it couldn't wait until she found the person best suited for the task.

Actually her schedule was quite packed as of right now. She had several essays that she needed to turn in and finding the time to do them was proving increasingly frustrating. Not because the time wasn't there, but because most of the time she actually had to herself was spent dealing with various assignments that Harry had given her and keeping a watchful eye on the students. Also much of her free-time was spent with Harry nowadays, leaving her with little time to do what was needed.

Luckily they were not at a crucial point in their education yet, and some slacking on certain essays was easy to pass of as lacking knowledge, which would only make her seem the average student all the more.

Besides she did need to help Harry get ready for his task, because no matter how you looked at it, trying to overcome a dragon or outwit one was hard. Though admittedly dragons were, according to even handlers, still beasts, they were more cunning than most, almost frighteningly so, and that combined with their superior size, raw strength and hardiness made them hard to take down and get around.

This was why she had introduced him to the bypassing spell she had explained to him and if he managed to learn it by the time of the task it would certainly help him if his other plans turned on him, or otherwise didn't work as expected. But she had faith that he knew what he was doing, but it wasn't in her nature not to have a contingency plan, which was why she had urged him to also create at least one back-up plan.

The corridors were pleasantly quiet, and the only noise she could hear were the chatting of students far away. Though she by all means was far from a peaceful person, she could also enjoy quiet tranquil moments, like any other, and she found the time went much faster as she walked to the Hospital Wing, and soon she found herself standing inside the hospital, in front of Madam Pomfrey's desk.

"Excuse me", she said loftily as she looked down at the woman scribbling something on a piece of paper, causing said woman to look up at her briefly. "Could you tell me if Harry Potter is still here?"

The only reason she bothered asking was because it would be much easier to get her to answer than wade into the place, and look at his bed. Besides, this woman could make it much harder for Harry should she choose to. But then again, she doubted she would want to because she seemed to be somewhat smitten by him. Though how she could be at all interested in him was beyond her.

She shot Daphne an annoyed look. "What is it, 'Ask for Potter'-day?", she asked exasperatedly, and elaborated upon seeing the undoubtedly confused look on her face. "You're the third one here to ask for him. The second girl got here just before you did, and she still in there."

"The second girl?", she enquired.

"Oh yes, they seem to be milling to him. The first one here today got here just as Harry was about to leave. He left with her wrapped around his arm", she grumbled. "Then that Beauxbaton girl came by a less than a minute ago. She's still in there."

So the French Tri-Wizard champion was here. It might do well to talk to her, since her Master seemed to have taken an unusual interest in her, and though it pained her to admit it, she knew she was just the tiniest bit jealous. But she wasn't some foolhardy Gryffindor acting on her every emotion.

Besides, if her Master wanted her, she would never stand in his way. But his interest in her warranted her own, and getting to know her would probably prove to be beneficial.

She nodded to Madam Pomfrey who was still grumbling to herself, and went to locate his bed.

She found the French girl standing in front of an empty bed, frowning at the empty sheets, as if they might jump up and explain some great mystery to her. Though Daphne could honestly admit that she understood why the male population swooned whenever they saw her and though they would all deny it, that's truly what they did. Though drooling was often part of that equation as well.

Actually the only one who didn't seem head over heels for her was Harry, though he had expressed an interest in her. She was unsure of whether he was generally interested in her or merely intrigued.

She cleared her throat to gain the attention of the Delacour girl, and it worked perfectly, as those deep almost glowing blue eyes settled on her.

"What can I do for you?", Fleur asked her.

"Well, I was just wondering if you knew where Harry was", she responded. "I was looking for him."

Fleur seemed to be weighing her, looking her up and down. She was sizing her up, and she couldn't help but inwardly grin. It seemed the interest Harry felt for her were mutual, if the look was anything to judge by. She had been the focus of several such stares before she made it clear that none in this place caught her eye, and only necessity had forced her to go to Harry.

However, it honestly did feel weird being on the receiving end of such a look by one such as Fleur. Truly, what did a Veela have to fear from a human? Daphne was absolutely sure that Harry could somehow resist the Veela allure, and she was almost absolutely certain that he must have a similar skill. Nothing else could explain how she lost control so completely when around him.

Fleur smiled at her, though it somehow seemed to her as if she was not sincere. But this only reinforced her suspicion of why she might look at her like a threat for Harry.

"No, unfortunately not. I had hoped to catch him before he left, but it seems I was not so lucky", she said. "Though from what Madame Pomfrey told me, I just missed him by a few minutes."

"Seems we're both disappointed then", she smiled back at Fleur. "Seems like he's trying to run away from me."

" Oh, and why would he do that?", she asked good-naturedly, though Daphne sensed the underlying question.

"I am helping him prepare for the first task, and since he got so brutally put right by that dragon he decided he needed some help. So I thought I was going to give him a practical lesson today. Let him try out some of that theoretical stuff."

Fleur looked at her with a strange expression. "You do know that helping him is against the rules right?"

Daphne grinned. "It's illegal for any of the staff to help, but another student… Well that's another thing entirely. Apparently they didn't think the average student would be of any help to the contestants, or maybe they want to promote teamwork or something. All I know is that, intentional or not, that is a loophole, and Harry took advantage of it."

"Do you think the teachers would think like that as well if they discovered you had been helping him?", Fleur asked.

"Whether they like it or not doesn't matter", she shrugged. "But if they feel like it, they will try to stop it. But even they can't change the laws of this tournament, so until Harry asks me not to, I'm going to help him."

"You really think he can't win this tournament without your help?", Fleur asked with a hint of sharpness in her tone. That at least won her some points with Daphne.

"It isn't about what I think, it's about what he thinks, and he thinks he needs help. But between the two of us, I actually believe he has as big a chance as the rest of you. But you got to admit, you all have three years of experience on him; it makes the race a little uneven", she said. "I'm only trying to even the odds a little."

"But do we not also have three years of experience on you?", Fleur asked offhandedly, though she knew she was paying sharp attention. This was her way of learning more about her.

"You're of course correct", she conceded. "But despite that it would still be unwise to believe that he can't hold his own. Challenges aren't overcome with spells; they're overcome with the brain, and I fully confident that when it's his time to stand in front of that dragon that he will stand as great a chance as you and the other's. If not even greater."

"Glad I'm not the only one who thinks he can do it", Fleur replied after staring at her for a bit, a smile now on her lips again, a marginally warmer one. "It seems everyone from your school hates him, and all because of this tournament."

She returned the smile. "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you mind asking me how you got to know Harry? It just seems weird that one of the Tri-Wizard competitors wants to befriend him when everyone else just looks at him in contempt."

"No offense taken", Fleur replied. "Actually it was after he saved me during the first task. I was also in this Hospital Wing for a short while, and decided to simply wait until he woke up, and well we started talking and became friends. Not much more too it", she said, though Daphne suspected there was more to it than that.

Besides she highly doubted it was actually the entire reason she became interested in her Master, but it would have to wait. She wasn't lying when she said she wanted to go over some of the theoretical work, but first she needed to find him.

"Oh, well I'm glad to see he got another friend. He seems to lack them of late", Daphne said with a bad taste in her mouth as she thought about the Granger and the Weasley.

Fleur just smiled at her.

"Well I'm going to find him", Daphne said and turned around and walked to the door. "You're more than welcome to join me if you want, since we both seem to be looking for him."

"If you don't mind I think I will", Fleur said curtly and followed her out of the room.

They fell into friendly chatting as they walked through the castle, though both girls kept throwing hints and subtle enquiries.

DB -

Harry couldn't help but smile in satisfaction at his current situation.

He was hardly out of the hospital, actually he hadn't even gotten out of the bed, before an extremely beautiful girl had approached him, and judging from her get-up she was from Beauxbaton. The fun thing was that he had never met her before, though he probably had seen her around, as she was hardly one to be overlooked.

Her raven black hair went to just above her waist, and seemed to almost shine, and he couldn't help but be slightly captivated by it. Though he wasn't the only one who seemed just a little bit lost in the moment it seemed, at least that was what he could derive from the look she was directing at him.

She wasn't as tall as Fleur, though that did not in any way detract from her. As it was now, she was just about his height, and as they walked arm in arm he could look straight into her eyes. Her build was athletic, and he could feel strength in her grip, although it was gentle.

Since he had awoken a couple of days ago, after recovering from his injury, he had been different. It was apparent even to him, the attitude, the interest, the daring. It was all new to him; he was never one to flirt. He had actually been one to easily be embarrassed before, but now the emotion seemed so distant he could hardly even recall the feelings. He had also become emotionally different from his earlier self; the most obvious proof was the annoyance he felt for the general population of Hogwarts, it was as if he was more aggressively sensitive to any ill-will or scorn directed towards him.

One of the most immediately noticeable changes had been his sudden leap in the interest of the fairer sex, as was evidenced by his near entrancement by Fleur which had awoken a more carnal desire, and his peculiar way of greeting Daphne a bit later on. Another proof of this was the girl walking besides him now, Louise as she had introduced herself, and his eyes seemed to be inevitably drawn to her figure.

Her slender shoulders had that air of confidence about them that he had not seen many match, she held her head high and he knew she was a proud girl. However his eyes only lingered there shortly before they drew further down, to her seemingly perfect bust. Her breasts weren't too big, and they weren't too small, they actually looked to be a perfect match for his hands, though he was sure he would barely be able to contain them.

His gaze traveled further down, past her slim waist to her hips. They were just yelling at him to grip them and pull her to him, which led him to the last sight, her legs, though unfortunately he couldn't see too much of them due to the French school uniform.

He still had trouble believing he was a male Veela, but Fleur had been adamant about it, and truly the ability he had discovered yesterday seemed similar to the one the Veela had. The thought of using it along with his fame to worm his way into the panties of several of the female students at school, and some of those not from his school, had been unavoidable. He was running _his_ Veela allure at six percent, which still proved to yield astounding results in the girl currently grabbing into him.

When he had been using his powers at a similar level on Fleur she had just held a slight affectionate glint in her eyes, nothing in vicinity of what he was getting from this girl. Sure Fleur might have a greater restraint than Louise, seeing as she carried Veela blood, but the difference shouldn't be this great. Though admittedly, Louise might have had something for him before, which might have only served to increase the effects of his aura, or maybe it was the other way around, but he had no way of knowing.

Either way, regardless if she was a fan girl or just simply had a crush on him, she was surprisingly easy to be around, which was why he had agreed to show her around Hogwarts. However odds were that he would have said yes just to spend some time, and possibly attempt to test his powers.

"So Harry, you promised you'd show me Hogwarts. Where should we start?", Louise purred with her arms wrapped around one of his.

"Well, I don't know what you've actually seen of this place, so I'm just going to give you the all-around tour, and the first one is right around the corner here", he said as he turned the corner with her at his arm as well.

Louise had trouble keeping the skepticism out of her voice as she looked at the door of a classroom. "Isn't it just a classroom?"

"Is it? Or is it something more?", he said in a mock-mysterious voice, as he opened the door and entered the classroom.

They had switched the classroom for the Defense against the Dark Arts between his second and third year, so the one they were currently in was actually the one they had been using beforehand.

"It just looks like an ordinary classroom", Louise said with a frown as she looked about, then the corners of her lips quirked upwards in a smile. "Unless you had some other reason for bringing me here, that is."

"Now why would I want to do anything like that, with a girl as gorgeous as you?", he exclaimed as if shocked. "But you're right."

Her eyes widened slightly, and he couldn't help the small grin on his face as he walked to one of the tables. "This is a simple classroom, the former Defense against the Dark Arts classroom to be exact. But that's not why I brought you", he said as he turned back to Louise after sitting down on one of the desks. "Did you know that there are all sorts of stories connected to this room?"

"Stories? You mean like ghost stories?", she asked, deliberately taking his bait.

He laughed. "Ghost stories don't really count for much in our world", he said, which caused Louise to pout slightly. "But don't worry; there is a sort-of ghost involved. Trust me this is better than any superficial tour, besides, you'll only have the tour in stock for some other time. That is unless you mind being out after curfew, then I might be able to show you all the sights", he said. "So why don't you take a seat and make yourself comfortable, this might take a while."

He raised his brow slightly when she transfigured one of the desks into a divan and laid down languorously on it, and he only then and there swore to the gods that every French girl he had met had some way of making even the simplest movement enticing. In the back of his mind he noted that Daphne had a way of measuring up to this as well.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable", he said cheerfully. "So where should I start? Hmm."

"How about the beginning", she supplied.

"Yea, I guess that's as good a place as any. Well, I suppose it all started when I was a little child, you know of Voldemort I suppose", he asked, and was happy to see her nod, and not cringe at the word. "Well, when I was little he came to my home. Both my parents had been living in hiding for several years, but he somehow found them again", he said. He after all couldn't reveal everything, but what he did have to say seemed to be enough to gain her rapt attention. "Voldemort killed my father, and my own mother is said to have sacrificed herself for me, which apparently led to some ancient magic being cast on me. I honestly don't know exactly how it works."

"Do you ever wish they were still alive?", she asked, though her voice was awfully timid. He knew people must think this was a sore subject, and it had been until recently. But it truly did not matter to him anymore, it might have been different had he gotten to know them, but the thing was that he hadn't.

"I used to when I was smaller, I used to wish they would appear like by magic and take me away from my uncle and aunt", he chuckled. "But it never happened. In the end I came to the realization that it would never happen, and so I stopped hoping. I don't mean to sound insensitive or like a jackass, but they actually don't mean anything to me anymore."

He shook himself. "I grew up without parents, and I survived. I acknowledge that they were my parents. But I won't attach myself to someone that's not even alive and I can live my life without them, and their values."

He smiled at her again. "But that isn't what I wanted to tell you. I brought you here to tell you about my two first Defense against the Dark Arts teachers. So don't worry about me, I won't get sad about my parents."

"As I said, when my mother died it resulted in the casting of an ancient protective charm on me, which when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on me, caused it to rebound back to him", he said and smiled at her awestruck look. "Follow me so far?"

"Yes", she said breathlessly with an intense stare. "Not one of the books we were told to study about the history of dark arts tells anything like this. Nothing about how it ha…"

"What?", Harry interrupted with incredulity in his voice. "You've been studying me?"

She giggled. "Yes, actually across the world your life is seen as phenomenon, however it's always been one of the mysteries about you. I suppose. It's possible Dumbledore didn't want to teach about a student still attending Hogwarts."

"Well, I'm sure he had his reason", he deliberated, and then he put on a smile again and waggled his eyebrows. "So did any of those books mention anything about my exceptional handsomeness, astonishing charm, and my dashing smile?"

"No they did not, but I was lucky enough to get the chance to see so for myself", she said, and batted her eyelashes at him, and laughed lightly.

"I guess you did, lucky you. But shouldn't we get back to the story?", he replied with a smile. "Well as I said, when the Killing Curse rebounded, it hit Voldemort…"

"And he was killed", she concluded.

He lifted his finger. "Ahh, but that's where you're wrong. Despite every story ending happily, this one didn't. He wasn't called one of the most powerful Dark Lords ever without reason. He somehow managed to stay on the edge of death as a spirit."

She gasped. "He's alive?"

"Well, not so much alive, but yes, he's still out there. Though Dumbledore has been trying to keep it under wraps."

He got more comfortable. "So the first story is about my first DADA teacher Quirrel, a sketchy and edgy guy. He seemed like the completely wrong guy from the get go now that I look back at it. However, what was a first year student to do? It had only been a week or so since I had been introduced to magic, and since then I had met all sorts of… enigmatic characters."

"Well, during my first year, I was still the naïve little kid, so one day I ended getting tricked by a student, and end up getting detention with our grounds keeper. So I was sent into the Forbidden Forest, to look for something that was hurting the unicorns in there."

"Wait, they sent a first year after something that could harm a unicorn… Wait, wait, wait… you have unicorns out there?", she asked.

"Yes, we do have unicorns", he chuckled. "Though I can understand it's hard to believe they would be in that creepy and not at all nice forest. But we're getting sidetracked again. As I said we went into the forest to discover what was hunting the unicorns. A few had been turning up wounded the last couple of weeks apparently."

"So did you find what was doing it?", she asked.

"Yes, I found him crouched over a unicorn. It was Quirrel, but apparently he got scared when I interrupted him, and so fled. However we didn't know it was him at the time. So, during the year, I fought a troll, bypassed a dangerous Devil's Snare, got chased by a bunch flying keys, had to play some weird chess and jumped through everlasting fire."

"Back up a sec, don't some of those things deserve an explanation", she asked, a frown on her face.

"I suppose they do", he said and shrugged. "But you're going to have to wait for those. I'm saving them for points later on."

"But guess what waited for me at the end?", he said, and grinned at the expectation on her face. "Nah, it would be sad if I spoiled it all now, why not wait? You know to build up suspense."

"Aww, come on", she pouted.

"No, no", he said. "What kind of storyteller would I be if I spoiled it all now?"

"Not that much better than you are now", she giggled.

"Ow, you wound me", he said, holding a hand to his heart. "But it still won't work. I will at least stick to the basics of storytelling."

She sat up on the divan, and patted the seat beside her. "Isn't there any way I can persuade you to talk?"

He sighed, and went over and plopped down beside her. "No, I'm like the Fort Knox when it comes to this stuff."

A tinkling laugh escaped her. "I highly doubt that is the case, but I will let you keep your secrets, for now that is."

"I do so appreciate that", Harry responded, for all intents and purposes as if he really meant it. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Louise looked askew at him. "I don't see why not."

"What do you see yourself doing in five years?", he asked. "I'm asking because, things some things have changed a lot for me lately, more than I ever could have guessed. You see, I used to want to become an auror."

"You don't anymore then?"

"To be honest, right now I can't even see myself being an auror", he said and let out a sigh. So many things had changed lately, him included, that he had no idea where he was actually going. "I've changed since then."

"It's not unusual to change your mind", she responded with a smile on her lips. "It just means you're growing up. Some people know from they're little and hold to that, but others take some time. I mean, I don't have a clear clue yet."

"You mean you don't have the slightest about what you want to be?", he asked incredulously.

She fidgeted slightly with an embarrassed look in her eyes and he wondered at how much a change the Veela Allure actually caused in her and it should surprise him even more that he had changed so much, but he didn't. He also knew that girls, or rather young women, like Louise and Fleur would have been intimidating to him before, but for some reason that was no longer the case. The gap in experience was clear, and probably would remain so for some time, but he was not that person anymore.

"Come now", he coaxed. "Surely you have pictured your dreamjob, so spill it."

"Well, there is this thing, but it's rather silly", she said with a bit uncertainty. "I want to work in Spell Creation, but they only take the best and the brightest, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

"Spell Creation", he said wonderingly. "I can imagine it would be a difficult line of work."

She sighed, with an air of hopelessness. "Yes, it's nearly impossible to get accepted."

He put on a comforting smile. "You know, you shouldn't be so pessimistic, after all the race is not over yet."

"Heh, you don't even know me yet", she snorted with a small laugh. "But I thank you anyway."

He smirked and offered his arm to her which she like previous also wrapped her own two around it. "So what do you say we go grab a bite to eat? And if you're still up to it afterwards I'll continue the tour, though we're going to have to postpone the storytelling to another time."

She arched a brow. "So I earned the right to hear the ending of your first year tale?"

"Of course, I thought that would be obvious by now. Information for information, after all. However you're going to have to wait. As I said before I want to build up suspense", he said, as he led her out the classroom and down her hall and idly chitchatted as they made their way to the great hall.

On the way they passed several students who all took immediate notice of the couple walking the down the halls, and as it was nearing dinner time it was not surprising when several students quickly turned into a crowd of people muttering behind their backs and throwing glares in his direction. Though it was not that hard figuring out what they were talking about even had they been unable to hear what they were whispering, and they were not really that discreet.

Though to both their credit, they were actually not that affected by it all. Harry was used to this by now, and it really didn't bother him at all, actually he had come to enjoy this far more. It gave him more chances to enjoy the peace and quiet. Louise, though not accustomed to this at all, seemed like she couldn't care less as she smiled dazzlingly and hummed a tune under her breath when they walked through the crowds. It truly seemed like she didn't give a rat's ass about these things, and she totally disregarded the glares that were also sent her way.

So before they even reached the great hall they had managed to piss off a number of people, though said people never did more than glare at them. So as they calmly walked into the great hall and Louise dragged him to sit with her at the Ravenclaw table among the other Beauxbaton. It seemed that there weren't many of the students from that school present currently. Actually now that he looked about he did notice a suspicious lack of higher years.

Actually counting him and Louise there were only about thirty other higher year students and that was from all three schools combined, and most of them were from Hufflepuff, which was a bit weird.

"Hey Louise", he prodded his companion as she sat beside him. The two other Beauxbaton that were present were sending him veiled looks but else did nothing to gain his attention. "Do you know what's up with all the students missing?"

"Oh, it's just a dueling tournament that Hogwarts had decided to host. It will be running alongside the Tri-Wizard tournament. It's only for the older students, students from the fourth year and upwards", she explained, while grazing him with yet another dazzling smile.

He was actually a little put out by this; he wouldn't have minded actually being a part of this tournament instead of this Tri-Wizard nonsense, though he supposed he would gain more honor or whatever by doing the Tri-Wizard.

"So I assume you're not going to be part of it, seeing as you've spent most of the day with me and not in whatever class the others are doing."

She just waved it off. "No I will be participating, I just told my friend to sign me on. But I have some experience in formal dueling from back home, so I reckoned I wouldn't need to be there for the introduction."

"Cocky aren't we?", he replied with a raised brow.

"I'm not cocky, just confident", she shot back with a smile. "It's one of my skills"

"I will be looking forward to seeing that", he responded, and looked about the great hall.

During the meal they chatted about many different subjects, though it was all light subjects, and they actually didn't learn much about each other. But they did manage to have some fun and that was the point of it all.

They spent most of the meal laughing about silly things and having a good time, and when they were done Louise picked a piece of cake, and speared part of it on a fork and teasingly held it towards him clearly waiting for him to open his mouth.

"Say 'ahh'", she cooed as she held the cake piece forth. Obviously he normally wouldn't sink to such a level as to take such humiliating bait, but it was a damn delicious piece of cake, as he knew from experience. Though he did wonder at the sudden familiarity the girl exhibited,

He opened his mouth omitting the 'ahh' part, though Louise took the opportunity before it slipped away to slip the piece of cake into his mouth, and he found that it was definitely worth the sacrifice, though vengeance would still be in order. However his thoughts were interrupted when a large bustle was heard from the double doors and he looked up to see a large group of students wander into the great all excitedly chatting with each other.

To think a dueling competition could cause such uproar, but then again that was to be expected. None of these children had ever truly learned how to duel, never been in a life and death situation, and though he would probably be equally eager to enter the tournament it was only because he would choose these fights and they would be on his terms, not those of Voldemort or his lackeys.

All the students quickly settled down to eat, and the excited chatter continued. Surprisingly few students actually noticed that he was even sitting there at the Ravenclaw table where the Beauxbatons sat, and amongst those were mostly other Beauxbaton, who seemed quite interested in why Louise was sitting with him. However the few Hogwarts students who actually saw him quickly turned to their friends to point him out, who in turn also stared at him.

Honestly, one would think they had seen enough of him over the years, but apparently he became doubly interesting when he was out in the cold. It was actually quite hilarious.

Again he looked out over the crowds, searching for his two lady friends who had kept him occupied in the school infirmary. He hadn't planned to spend the day as he did, but he wasn't making a fuss about how it had turned out. Originally he had planned to spend the day practicing the magical armor penetration spells. Daphne hadn't really informed him how they were pulled off, only just vaguely outlined it. So he'd meant to have her spend some of the day showing him. But there was no point in rushing, since he still had some and four days until he had to face the Norwegian Horntail.

He was however a bit rattled at finding neither Fleur nor Daphne anywhere within sight. Fleur he had no control over whatsoever, but he had expected Daphne to be here, and was a bit surprised not to find her there.

He turned back to Louise to find said girl staring at him with a puzzled look.

"What were you looking for?", she innocently asked.

"Nothing", he said. "What do you say I give you the rest of the tour?"

Louise nodded with a smile on her lips. "I would love that", she said delightedly, and many of the French girls either glared at him or tittered in laughter.

He got up and she followed his example and took a hold of his arm and he was quite a bit surprised to see the jealous looks that were sent her way, especially those coming from the Hogwarts students. He almost snorted at that. Honestly after the way they had been treating him could the even be considering they had any claim to him at all, it was almost beyond ridiculous.

"So what would you like to see?", he said upon exiting the great hall. "We have many exciting things; we have the Dungeons, though it's dangerous to go there as rumors has it that a great git is stalking the halls, the Astronomy Tower, which has a great view, the lake though I think you've already seen that. Then there is the Chamber of Secrets, but that's a no go, the tunnel is collapsed I think."

He shrugged. "Actually when I think about it there's not really that much to show you. I have this one place that would probably surprise you, though I need you to swear to keep it a secret, as I don't exactly want everyone knowing."

"I think I can promise that", she said. "So lead the way to this wonderful place."

He nodded and a while later they were walking down a deserted hallway on the seventh floor. Louise seemed a little puzzled at his sudden stop, in a hallway where there were no doors, and nothing whatsoever.

Harry however chose to ignore that in favor of simply showing her. So concentrating on a room where he could relax, he walked back and forth in front of the tapestry of Barnaby the Barmy thrice before the soft gasp Louise let out proved that his intention had worked.

He turned his head and sure enough, there was the door he needed and as he opened it and bid Louise inside he studied the room, and it was exactly like he had imagined it, large with a see through wall in one side of the room showing the Hogwarts grounds, though he was smart enough to let it only be one way. Else it was pretty much bare, with some comfortable chairs and a couch, with a small fire going in a fireplace off to the side.

"This, Louise, is the Room of Requirement I believe it's called, and it's my little getaway", he said, and looked around the room. "This place is beyond words. For example, if I need a book on cooking", he said and instantly a cooking book was laying on one of the chairs. "The room provides it. I think this room could provide anything you could think of, or should I say have need of, hence the Room of Requirement."

"This is amazing", she trilled and looked around the room. A second later a table with a small glass of water appeared in front of her. But she was seemingly not surprised as she just grabbed the glass and took a sip from it. "Do you come here all the time?"

"When I need time to think or relax I do. This place can be anything I require from silent to noisy, however I want it", he said wistfully and sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs. He was not joking this place had actually helped him a lot. "It's the best place in this school if you ask me."

"I can see why you would say that", she breathed in awe. "I wish we had something like this at Beauxbaton. It's amazing; I would probably spend hours in here."

"Well, you're more than welcome to, as long you keep it a secret", he said and carefully examined her.

The reason for the scrutiny this time was significantly less motivated by hormones and more motivated by a need to understand what he'd become. The timing at which she presented herself was impeccable and she presented a perfect test subject.

The fact that he could even think like that and not have any qualms about it only served to emphasize the magnitude of the changes that had been wrought upon him. That he could so easily see a person as a test subject rather than a person would have been repulsive to him only weeks ago. Despite this ability to detach himself, he still felt fondness for some people, most prominently now was Fleur, who he had somehow zero'ed in on as soon as he awake in the Hospital Wing, and to a lesser degree Daphen as well, and he probably would be able to come to care for Louise as well. He also felt some lingering affection for both Hermione and Ron, though he with his slightly more cynical view couldn't care less.

Being able to control to his powers, he had quickly realized, would be paramount. The warning that Fleur had given him had taken root and he was knew that people would soon become aware of the changes in him if he didn't take the proper precautions to control them, and he'd rather fancy not becoming a lab rat for the government, which he undoubtedly would become.

So sacrifices would have to be made, and Louise here would be the first of undoubtedly many. Luckily for her, it was not like the process would be unpleasant as his Allure had quite the pleasurable effect on the fairer sex.

So without much further ado he simply focused his attention on Louise, who was still immersed himself in his Allure, and simply released the constraints he had put on it. It wasn't the power at full, because he was quite sure he would pass out from using that, if the amount he had used on Fleur earlier was any indication. The power was simply allowed free pass in his body and he felt a strange, alien but still familiar rush that came with it.

The moment the restraint dropped it felt like he was somehow more free than he was before, like he was no longer encumbered by unknown burdens, and he felt energy suffuse every part of his body. The action likewise had an immediate effect, as an immediate heat grew in her cheeks and her eyes caught his form, immediately turning dropping her attention to the room in favor of focusing on him. Special regard was in particular paid to his body, as his eyes were only just met initially before the hungry eyes of Louise visually devoured him.

He was inwardly pleased at the reaction Louise exhibited, despite his more academic intents at this point in time.

"Why don't you take a seat Louise", he inquired gently, knowing that she would comply with just about anything he asked of her now, and he was not unsurprised at her instant compliance. "Would you please remain there?"

"Okay Harry", she answered with a brilliant smile.

So far he had only allowed his Allure to run free, and only control the level of exposure, the thing he wanted to attempt right now was to focus it, and since he had no precedence he simply had to wing it. So since he was aware that the Veela Allure affected emotions, it should be possible for them to read emotions as well, or so was his theory at least.

So far he had only been focused on the physical aspects of his life, in the sense that he had been much more affected physically by the young women surrounding him, and therefore he suspected he had also equally been focused on affecting them in a likewise manner. So he supposed it simply resided in his 'wanting' to affect other emotions, such as joy, anger and trust.

He imagined his power as a sphere which enshrouded Louise, and as he did so he focused on picking up any emotions she gave off, and he felt a small pulse throughout his body and soul. The pulsing became so insistent and incessant that it almost bordered on pain, but with the increasing pressure also came an inkling of something foreign and soon his ambition overpowered his carefulness and with the last greatest pulse he felt awash in a swirl of emotions, in a ball intensity that took him by surprise.

However, with that new sensation also came a lance of pain in his head that had no comparison. With a hoarse cry, his hands flew to his head, but as soon as the pain had made itself know, as soon was it but a distant memory, though it did leave change in its wake, as he could acutely 'feel' the emotions of Louise, who was still sitting in the chair as he had told her to, though he could now recognize through that small ball of emotions that he had quickly come to realize was her emotions that she was scared for him.

The sensation of reading her emotions was both foreign and familiar, like his Allure, and it felt like a natural extension of him, just as much as his arm did. But however familiar it felt, it was still a foreign ability and he felt like exploring it as much as he had wanted to fly when he originally learned of that.

But that revelation of a new skill had been more consuming than he had thought it would, and right now, more than anything he would rather sleep than do anything too strenuous. But he felt like he at least deserved some trophy for remembrance of his recent victory, so with a wicked smirk he got up and approached her, and whispered something in her ear, which caused her to go bright red, but as he expected she nodded nonetheless.

He turned and walked over to the see through wall and stared out at the school grounds, which were by now shrouded in darkness, deliberating over the newest facet of his powers, but was broken out of his respite by the feel of something soft being pressed into his hands, and he smelt a strong, heady scent permeating the air.

He turned with a smile, while slipping the present into his pocket, to see the bright blushing face of Louise. Who to his surprise actually looked perhaps even more spent than he did.

"So let's get going, I should probably get you back to the Ravenclaw tower, before they get worried", he said, and exited the room followed by Louise. The trek back towards the Great Hall was fairly uneventful, as was to be expected so close to curfew, with only a small hour till every student was expected to be in their dorms, and preferably their beds.

They had been traveling in comfortable silence when they reached their destination, and it seemed luck was on his side today, because just outside the Great Hall stood a small group of Beauxbatons, chatting with each other quietly.

"Excuse me", he said, and pumped his allure up to a whooping eight percent, after having once more put it under restraints, and more than enough to coerce someone into doing him a small favor. So he smiled charmingly at them as they turned to stare at him with almost glittering eyes. "You all look like wonderfully responsible young women, and I was wondering if you could help my friend here back to the Ravenclaw tower. She is a bit tired."

They all quickly assured him that they could do so, and he graced them with another smile. "Thank you, I appreciate this."

Leaving Louise and her schoolmates with a few kind words, he ventured back towards the Gryffindor common room, while turning his allure down to zero. He really didn't want to draw any more attention to himself in Gryffindor, because as it was now he was liable to do something he would regret, or maybe not to the degree of regret, but odds were that it would give him no end of trouble.

Entering the common room he found not many people about, and he groaned when he discovered just who was there. Two of the last three people he'd want to meet right now. But apparently groaning wasn't the smart thing to do, as he might have had a chance to sneak by them otherwise.

"Where have you been Harry?", Hermione raged, storming up to him. "We don't see you for three days, and you don't come see any of us now that you're out?"

The second person, Ginny, stood just a bit behind Hermione, nodding her assent. "Yes, you could have at least told us."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't have to tell you anything. If you were so interested in knowing how I was doing, you could have visited me in the infirmary", he spat angrily, before turning his eyes on Ginny. "And why are you interfering?"

"Don't take that tone with us Harry James Potter", Hermione snapped briskly, a fire in her eyes. "We were just worried about you."

"No you weren't. You just want to know every little thing that I do, and the only reason Ginny is worried is because she still has a childish crush on me", he said with scorn. This was what he had been hoping to avoid, this would only spur on the rumors of the house ban, and maybe make it a reality. Not that he cared much for it, but it would cause problems between him and probably the entire school.

Ginny let out a little surprised squeak, at hearing his exclamation, and he looked at her with annoyance. "Yes I know about your silly little crush, and no there is no chance of anything ever happening between us." It wasn't so much that he hated her, but he needed to put a wall between him and the Weasley's, and besides she wasn't his kind of girl.

"Harry," Hermione burst out. "How can you say that?"

He turned back to her. "Because it's the truth, and there was no point in sugarcoating it. I honestly couldn't care less about what you think. So why don't you just be good little girls and leave me alone, like you've been doing these last couple of weeks. Because I'm really not in the mood for you right now."

His words seemed to shake both of them, and it was a long time since he had been so honest with them. However Hermione's face scrunched up and she sniffed at him. "What is that smell?"

Harry laughed. "Nothing that concerns you."

"I know that smell", Hermione persisted, her eyes betraying the conflict raging within. "Who was it Harry?"

He laughed. "It's none of your business with who I have spent some quality time with. So butt out of it."

He shook his head and walked past them towards the stairwell to the boys' dormitories.

"You stay right there Harry. I'm not done with you yet", Hermione yelled in an unusual display of temper.

"Yea, yea" he said and ignored the people from both the boy's and girl's dormitories coming down the stairs to see what the ruckus was about. Apparently their interlude, however brief, had drawn a crowd, but he really wasn't in the mood for another great discussion from the Gryffindor house. Right now he'd rather laze in bed and recall the events of the evening.

Today had been a great day, and he wouldn't let his house ruin it for him. So ignoring any further outbursts from Hermione and angry muttering from Ginny and the rest of the house, he climbed the stairs to his floor and entered the room.

The inside were surprisingly enough full of people, more so than one would have thought. Both boys and girls and the like were gathered in the room. If he didn't know any better he would say that they were having a party, if not for the lack of music, booze, and generally a good mood. However what really tipped him to the true nature of this 'congregation' was that the second he set foot inside he found at least a dozen eyes glued to him.

It seemed to him that he was not lucky enough to get his wish granted just yet, and from the faces of those in the room, both male and female, it seemed he wouldn't unless he put an end to it now. Problem was that he had no idea what they wanted.

He put on a fake cheerful smile. However his will to tolerate these people had dropped drastically these last couple of months, and things were not exactly turning around.

He walked to his bed and sat down, emptied his pockets on the sheets. Some galleons, knuts and sickles fell on the bed, accompanied with the shrunken books Fleur hand lent him, as well as the present from Louise, which was the source of the smell that Hermione had detected. He wished he had thought about this before doing it, but the damage was done, if the looks on the faces of the people in the room were anything to base it on.

Ron looked at the article in question with a confused look, as did the three Gryffindor chasers and quite a few others. However Neville was the one to start the almost literal inquisition.

"What are that Harry?", he asked.

"It's panties Neville. Usually you get these from a girl Neville", he sighed, and placed the books he'd borrowed from Fleur into his drawer, and pocketed the wizarding coins again.

"Yea, but _why_ do you have them?", Angelina piped in.

He sent an annoyed look at the Gryffindor chaser. "As I said, usually a girl gives these to a guy."

"So a girl gave them to you?", Parvati enquired.

"I would think that was obvious by now", he snorted.

"Who was it?", Angelina asked, eyes strangely intent on the piece of clothing.

"You know what; even if I slept with all the girls of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin combined it still wouldn't be any of your business", he growled at the lot of them. "So unless you have a bloody good reason for being here I suggest you shove off, because I am about to tuck in."

He threw his shirt on a nearby footstool, before he turned back to the crowd all nervously staring at the Boy-Who-Lived throwing off his clothes in front of them. "Unless of course you want a show. Naturally this offer only extends to the females in here, but you should know it goes both ways, if you see me I see you."

He put on a look of fake-sadness. "No takers? Damn, well, better luck for me next time. Now would you either please get out or get to the point?"

A small symphony of voices spoke up at the same time, until Dean coughed loudly enough to gain the attention of all in there. "Harry, we have something important to talk about. We know you are aware of the treatment you've been receiving in this school, as well as from us because of you dishonoring our house."

Harry snorted, but otherwise kept quiet, he figured letting them get it out of their system would make them disappear sooner, and trying to interrupt them would only make this take longer. That of course didn't mean he would just let it all lie, but now was not the time for a confrontation.

"But we think we've made our point clear by now, and we've decided that if you're willing to extend a public apology regarding the incident with the Tri-Wizard tournament. Then we would be willing to back you up in public again. Of course we can't guarantee that the other houses will support our decision. If you chose to ignore it…", Angelina said, trying to keep an impassive mask up.

He almost burst out in laughter at that. Sure the situation was absurd, but to think they would really take it this far, but they had and that left him with only one option.

"'Dishonoring our house'? 'Willing to back you up in public again'?", this time he did laugh, and he actually had to hold his stomach in laughter. "You make it sound like I should care. You've been holding this threat of a house ban over my head since this entire thing started, and to be honest I tire of it. So why not take that little list of signatures you've probably already cooked up by now and turn it in to whoever you want. Then I don't have to wear these ridiculous colors anymore."

Many of their faces turned red in anger, he honestly couldn't remember ever being this blunt, and neither could he remember anything about his house being this hot headed and prideful. It was going to be so fun pushing their buttons, and despite this being opposite of what he had hoped for, he felt oddly satisfied.

"You're forcing us to place the house ban on you. Why make it so hard on yourself? Just apologize and restore the honor of the house, and everything will be back to normal", Angelina replied.

"Who says I want it to go back to normal?", he said, arching a brow. "I am actually happy this finally happened. Takes that load of my shoulder. So if that was all, could you all please leave? I kind of want to sleep."

The entire brigade glared, before purposely walking slowly to the door, as if in protest.

"Oh, by the way Angelina, I assume you will let Wood know that you're in the need of a new seeker, I seem to have lost the enthusiasm in regards to dealing with Gryffindors", he said wittily.

A few begun funneling out of the room, before he halted them again. He might as well begin the fun now.

"Wait! Could you please turn in the form within the next couple of days? I have my eyes on some wonderful robes. The sooner I get rid of those red and gold atrocities the better", he said offhandedly as he fingered the black lace panties he'd gotten from Louise.

Parvati and Angelina just sniffed, along with a few angry outbursts from the remaining before they filed out. He caught a glimpse of Lavender's rear on the way, and he had to say that girl had some deliciously luscious curves. He might have to get closer to that girl, despite her not being the smartest; she definitely had a form that a girl her age shouldn't be capable of.

He had no idea if this would work, but focusing solely Lavender he picked her bundle of feelings out from the rest, and somehow _willed_ his allure to focus on her, though only at twelve, but surely enough to affect her. The rest of the people just filed out the room, however Lavender suddenly stood stock-still.

Harry pretended to only superficially notice her, while he kept playing with the panties, twirling them around his fingers. Lavender turned around to look at him, and he could feel the confusion swirling around inside her, however he could also feel adoration blooming, reverence growing, with a good deal of need mixed in as well.

"Harry…", she started timidly.

"Hmm, Lavender, why are you still here?", he asked in a detached tone, and Lavender flinched as if struck. But it was all part of how he wanted this to play out, as she was the next part of his experiement.

"Harry", she said slowly, as if picking her words carefully. "You know that I don't support what they're doing to you right?"

"Really?", he asked in sarcasm. "Because you seemed to agree with them just as much a few seconds ago."

"Harry", she said, her hand trembling slightly. "I didn't mean that, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I don't know if I believe that", he shot back, enjoying seeing her eyes tear up. It was fortunate that they were the only ones in there right now. Everyone had left the room, even the ever timid Neville had left with the crowd, leaving behind only him and Lavender.

"You have to", she begged.

"So if I were to go down right now and demand to see the written list of people who have approved of me getting a house ban, I wouldn't see your name on it?", he said bitterly. It was a gamble, but he honestly believed she had signed it. "And don't you lie to me."

She trembled visibly now, leaning on the door frame. "No…", she said sounding pathetic.

"I told you not to lie", he said coldly, once again causing her to flinch. "Tell me the truth."

"I-I did sign it", she said, turning frantic. "But I regret it. I don't know why I did it, but I'm so sorry. Forgive me."

"Give me one good reason I should", he said scathingly. "Everyone in this house has been treating me like dirt the last two months, and you think a simple 'I'm sorry' is going to change anything?"

"Believe me, please. Let me prove it", she pleaded with him, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. "Forgive me please."

"I don't know", he said suspiciously.

"Please, I will do anything."

Her eyes brightened at the possible light at the end of the tunnel, and he knew he had her. This was exactly the way he had wanted it to go. Now he just had to let her stew in it for a bit.

"Okay. But I will only give you one chance", he said, severity in his voice. "One chance only, understand?"

She nodded frantically. "Yes, please. I will prove that I'm worth it."

"Good", he said with a finger on his bottom lip. "I want you to try to become the best student at transfiguration in our year, understood?"

"Yes, I will do anything. I promise. I will be anything you want."

"Someday I might believe you when you said you were sorry", he replied. "But until then just try your best, okay?"

She nodded fervently.

"Good, now get going. I don't think I'll be staying here after the weeks up, so don't go spouting all kinds of stuff in my defense, that would only get you in trouble, okay?"

She nodded again, no longer crying but having a happy smile on her face, and she left quickly, hips swaying unconsciously. He could feel she was anxious, probably about disappointing him, as she should be.

He plumped down on his side in bed, after divesting himself of his pants. Hopefully they would at least not drag this out; their hotheadedness would probably spur them on, making them submit this house ban as soon as possible.

He smiled to himself as he fell asleep.

Today had been a good day.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed this installment


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, and I only lay claim to the original characters and the plotline

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

The previous day had gone from good, to bad, then worse, and all because she had lost track of Louise.

Fleur huffed at the passing students, who were all ogling her for one reason or another, which only made her even more snappish. The problem was that Daphne and she had been trying, however futilely, to locate Harry after he had left the Hospital Wing. But it seemed he had just vanished into thin air, and though both had been trying to disguise it, several students who had even so much at looked at them crossly had gotten a tongue-lashing due to their irritable mood.

They had spent all the time until dinner roaming the castle and the grounds, trying to find him, which in retrospect was thoughtless and stupid when they had no clue as to his whereabouts. But at the time it seemed like a perfectly solid idea with great merit, and so they had pressed on trying to casually question each other all day while looking for him.

They had eventually given up and simply separated when they went for dinner, her going to the Ravenclaw table and Daphne going to Slytherin table. It wasn't that she leaned towards being prejudgemental, but something about that girl simply rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn't who she pretended to be, she was too nice of a girl, and despite maybe being good people, the Slytherin house still made you a tough person.

Even she could see that and she had only been there for a short period of time. She suspected that Daphne pretended to be a lot less dangerous than she really was, but it was only her instinct talking, so she might be wrong. However, she had learned to trust her instincts a long time ago. Moreover, she might be a contender for Harry, and she knew the Daphne might prove to be a more capable opponent in that regard than Louise.

Fleur didn't have much time to reflect upon this person who apparently knew Harry very well, before she had been drawn out of her thoughts by the mutterings of the French girls around her. Apparently Harry had been by here, with Louise, and had left not long before they had arrived.

It didn't take her long to regain the will to look for Harry, and Daphne seemed to have picked up similar rumors as she met her at the doors of the Great Hall, and they had then spent the remains of the evening trying to find Harry, but had been unable to show anything for their efforts.

To her endless frustration.

Who knew how far Louise might have gotten with Harry in that time.

But that wasn't exactly what had Fleur in a knot right now. It was the fact that when she returned to the Beauxbatons lodgings, Louise was already back, and she looked like she had been running a marathon from the tired expression on her face as she slept. However what made her mood go down the drain was the reek of arousal that had been around her and the content smile as she slept, occasionally whispering 'Harry'.

So she had spared said girl a nasty glare as Louise left for breakfast in the Great Hall, though she hardly noticed as she walked around with a content smile on her lips.

How could she let herself be beat by her? She had seen how interested the girl had been in Harry, more so than she had ever seen her be in anyone before, and to then just let her have a chance to be close to him when he was a newly-awakened male Veela.

But there was no point in beating herself up about it; she would just have to do her best to win regardless. Louise had just scored the first point.

So when Fleur entered the Great Hall that morning, she scanned the crowds looking for a familiar mop of black unruly hair, and upon finding it, hurried to the Gryffindor table. Harry had taken up a spot at the far end of the table and she noticed that today his fellow house mates seemed to be steering clear of him, more so than usual.

"Hello Harry", she said cheerfully as she sat down next to him. He smiled at her, though he didn't show great surprise at her being there.

"Fleur", he greeted her. "To what do I owe the honor of you spending your breakfast with me? I know it can't possibly be my charm."

She smiled at his way of referring to his Veela heritage. He had taken extremely well to this sudden role that had been thrust upon him by fate, or chance, or whatever. But it was probably because this new power gave him an unprecedented amount of control over his own destiny.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short. Regardless of your charm I still find you a most interesting companion. Besides we still have to arrange a time for me begin my flying lessons", she reminded him. "You weren't going to skip out on them were you?"

He gasped in mock-shock. "I would never forget something as important as that. Though it's going to have to wait till I'm done with my first task, but after that I will be all over you… And I mean it."

"So what are you going to do about the dragon?", she enquired more to get her thoughts away from such things.

"I don't know if I should tell you", he said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'm already done with the task, so why not tell me?", she reasoned.

"Well, I don't know. We might get another task where things in my plan might be useful", he said, then put a finger on his chin. "However, if I knew what the next task was it might not be necessary, you know."

"It's not going to be that easy", she said. "As I said before I intend to win, and I don't want to intentionally give up any advantage I have."

He shrugged. "Then you're going to have to persuade me, though I think you'll find me a tough nut to crack."

She hummed in response. "Harry, I know you've only just learned about you know your 'charm' and where it came from. But I think we need to work on it a bit more."

"But haven't I already learned to control it?", he frowned.

She laughed. "There's more to it than that and I think it's my responsibility to teach you."

"Your responsibility, is it now?", he said as he took a large bite of a piece of toast.

"Yes, I don't know if I can teach you anything at all, seeing as you're kind of unique. But it's worth a try."

"And I suppose it has to happen as soon as possible?"

"Of course, if you can't control it, your powers might go out of control and expose you", she said seriously.

"You know, you don't have to come up with an excuse to spend time with me. We could go and find a broom closet somewhere right now if you want to", Harry said with a laugh.

Fleur however intended to at least break even with Harry, and now that his allure was at a low level it was easier to collect her thoughts.

She arched a brow. "So all I had to do was ask?"

"Of course, so should we do it now or…?", he asked with a raised brow.

She giggled. "Let's save it for later. Because I _am_ actually interested in teaching you more about your new powers, or at least as much as I can. But I know Daphne was looking for you yesterday. Something about practical training instead of theoretical or something."

"Really? Well I suppose I did promise her that I would try to prepare for the task. But I could squeeze you into my schedule anyways. She has ordinary classes to attend," he said, then brightened. "However we don't. So we could spend most of the day going over this stuff, I just need to arrange it with her, and then we're set to go."

He smiled at her. "But I assume we can finish eating first."

"I think I can manage until then", she said, and she knew that if she wanted him she would have to step her game up a bit. But if she managed to gain access to that same fount of power as earlier, she ought to be able to change the current situation.

He shoveled the remains of his food in, and gestured for her to follow, and after Harry had made a quick scan of the Slytherin table he located his target. Within a few seconds he pulled Daphne aside.

"'Morning Daphne", Harry said cheerfully ignoring the heated glares of the Slyhterins around them.

"Good morning Harry", Daphne responded and Fleur noticed a weird deference in her voice. "I looked for you yesterday. Where were you?"

He waved it off. "You will probably know before the day is up anyway, so why spoil the surprise. But I actually wanted to talk to you about your tutoring in the theory we've been going over. You know once your classes are over."

"Okay", she said as a bright smile lit up her face. "I only have three classes today, so let's meet at the stairs at the end of the third period."

"Sure", Harry nodded. "Oh, and I almost forgot. I think I might have pushed the Gryffindors to submit a house ban. So we'll also try to find some new rooms tonight."

Daphne tensed slightly, and Fleur was inwardly happy not to be on the receiving end of the glare she fixed on the Gryffindor table.

However it was another thing that bore food for thought.

Why did he mention new rooms when he talked to Daphne? She had been unable to discover anything about their relationship from Daphne, and right now she was getting all sorts of strange vibes.

She would just have to try and wheedle it out of him.

Several hours later found them sitting at the edge of the lake, where Fleur attempted to figure out the clue for the Second Task.

"So I assume sitting by the lake is the first step towards learning about this gift, right?", he chuckled.

"Not really, but it is more comfortable. Besides the weather is splendid, so why not enjoy it?"

"I suppose. So how do we do this?", he asked.

"You remember how you reached your Veela core, and how you draw on it when you want to use it?"

"Yea, I've tried it on a few occasions already. But I've discovered something weird…"

She frowned. "What have you discovered?"

"You know the allure affects the emotions and needs of the person exposed, right? Well I discovered that it isn't exclusive to attraction or lust, I can also change the allure to induce sadness, rage… even repentance. I can affect all their emotions, I think."

She froze with wide eyes.

Veela's could not create emotions, they could change them, manipulate them, not create them out of the blue, and they _were_ limited to the attraction aura. Only in myths had Veela ever been able to manipulate them to the extent that he claimed he could. The Veela capable of that power was those who were fully awakened, totally true to their heritage.

But such Veela had died out centuries, heck maybe even millennia's, ago, some claimed the blood had thinned to such an extent that it was no longer possible; other's said it was just a myth, and nothing more.

"I also think I can make the effects permanent if I wanted, I actually think I might have already done so", he said with a confused furrow on his forehead.

"Are you completely certain Harry?", she asked with a doubtful look. Now it just sounded unreal, never had anything she'd read about Veela mentioning anything like this. Maybe an awakened male really did not follow any pattern that was ascertained by the female Veela's.

"Yes, I am quite certain. Like for example I know that you disdain all redheads, like the Weasley's", Harry said with a grin. "Without any reason, but you do."

He was right, she really did hate the redheads, and the few Weasley's she did know. One being one of Harry's friends, that Fon… Ron… whatever and his kid sister. Not immense hatred, but if possible she would like nothing more than to never have to see the rest of them. But odds were that she would have to see them again, and she didn't think she would be capable of being very civil to any of them.

It was irrational, but it was so deep-seated that she could only just ignore it.

"I… really hate… them, but you did that to me right?", she asked, doubtfully. She really couldn't tell if she had always hated the so irrationally or whether he had just reminded her.

"Yea, it was me, but you get my point now right. But in order to prove my point I'm going to have to let it stay like that for a while", he said with a smile. "You understand right?"

With the smile came the undeniable torrent of power that was his allure, and she was unable to deny his suggestion. She couldn't bear to deny him as the mere thought of him being disappointed in her almost sent tears to her eyes.

No, she would never do anything like that.

The pressure from before lessened, but she could still feel the same much lessened need to never disappoint him. But she could think again, and she still needed to see if there was at least a small bit that she could teach him.

She shook her head briefly, and smiled brightly at Harry, despite the quick plethora of emotions she had just experienced. "Then let us at least see if the famous Veela fire is the same, shall we?"

"Sure", he said with a childlike enthusiasm. "It would be awesome to be able to make fire out of thin air."

"Well, it's great that you're so excited, but don't get ahead of yourself, it has proven to be one of the most difficult skills for Veela to create, much less control. But if you are anything like a normal Veela you should get this feeling. It's hard to explain, it's a feeling for control and power, about how you channel it. Do you follow so far?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Good, when you can feel that _power_ running through you, you have to focus it in your hands, your fingers to be exact. You have to force the flow into them, and try to _will_ the flame into being. Here let me show you."

She closed her eyes and tried to grab a hold of her wildly slippery Veela powers and it was like taking hold of a melting piece of ice. But she managed to pull her power forth haltingly and direct it to her hands, though it was an uphill battle. It was harder than usual, much harder, and it only made her realize that her trip to visit her Veela core was even more important than she had believed before. She had not really attempted to use her powers since that one time in the Hospital Wing.

Gradually and slowly a blue flame licked the tip of her fingers, and it expelled a great heat, but didn't scold her fingers. It was much smaller than it normally was, though not miniscule it could not exactly be called large.

"Is it supposed to be so… small?", Harry asked with a sliver disappointment, and she felt a small twinge in her heart.

"No, no", she hurried to placate him. "I don't know exactly what's wrong. But my Veela powers have been acting up lately, you know since the dragon incident. I haven't been able to control it to the extent I did before."

"So it's not only training for me, but for you as well?", he smirked. "Well I can live with that. So you said, focus my power into my fingers and then what? Imagine the flame?"

"Yes, but conjuring the flame is different. It has nothing to do with conventional magic, this is magic that comes from your blood it's different. It doesn't require incantations, only intentions, but mostly instinct", she explained. "You need to know that you can conjure the flame. You have to will it into existence and shape, but it needs to come…"

Her words were cut off as Harry lifted a hand, and concentrated with an intense stare at his hand. Suddenly a flame, a giant flame, larger than any she had ever made before, burst forth. Almost as tall as his arm was long, and it was the most remarkable green.

"It doesn't seem so hard…", he said, only for the flame to extinguish, shocking them both. "It is however hard to control."

He attempted a couple of times to recall the flame, but it didn't come as rear its head at all.

He sighed briefly before turning to her with a smile. "Maybe you're just too much of a distraction for me."

"I'm flattered", she replied. "But I think the only thing you can do now is keep practicing. After all; practice makes perfect."

He studied her for a few seconds. "I know I'm exceedingly handsome", he said with a wry grin, a small attempt at humor. "But you can't spend all your time watching me practice. So what will you do while I'm working my ass off?"

"I think I need to take a look at my Veela core," she replied, a crease forming on her otherwise flawless forehead.

"Well that sounds infinitely more fun than trying to conjure fire", Harry said with a fake pout. "I wish I could come with you."

She chuckled delightfully. "Come with me? I'm afraid that's impossible."

"You don't want me to come with you?", Harry pouted.

"No, it's not that. But I it's simply not possible", she said with a small placating smile.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you, after all I'm pretty sure I'm unique", he said in good humor.

"Cocky much?", was the bemused reply.

"Probably", he conceded with a shrug, followed by a smile. "But I don't see you dissuading me from that notion."

"And why would I do such a silly thing", she kidded back, and made herself relax in the position she was in before closing her eyes and searching for her Veela core.

This proved harder than usual since the constant trickle of power appeared and disappeared at random intervals, which she normally followed to her core. However much longer it took her core, she did so eventually, and the last thing she felt before she lost contact with her surroundings was the dominating presence that was Harry's allure. Instead of fighting back against it she allowed it to wash over her, as if a part of her, and slowly followed the imaginary road to her magical core that she used occasionally. She let herself be sucked in that torrent that was so familiar to her, and let it carry her along.

Her travel stopped in front two big orbs floating, on light blue and one deep red. Her magical core was just as she remembered, but maybe a bit bigger, but that was normal, a person's magical core always grew.

What surprised her was her Veela core. It was much larger than she would possibly have been able to imagine. But what was scaring her, even terrifying her, was what seemed to be happening to it. The red globe that was usually so calm was convulsing violently, even seeming on the verge of imploding, stretching and bending unnaturally.

She could feel fear grip her, and panic took hold when she couldn't think clearly enough to find a way to fix it. Suddenly the insistent feeling in the back of her mind, which Harry's Allure had been, was suddenly much more prominent and she felt her own Veela powers react erratically at her own panic, drawing his presence closer.

'What's happening', she heard a voice resounded all around her, filled with confusion and trepidation. 'Where am I?'

"Harry!", she said and felt an uncommon relief filling her mind alongside a encompassing confusion as she franticly looked around trying to find him, wondering _how_ exactly he was her. "How can you be here?"

'I have no idea,' he said. 'I was practicing making the flame, and suddenly, without even being aware of it, I was touching your hand, and here I am. Wherever here is.'

"That doesn't make any sense", she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

'It's weird not having a body', he said with a very nervous tone.

"Perhaps I can make one for you, it is my mind after all", she said, after having calmed down a bit. She pictured a Harry copy right next to her, though it stood by lifelessly for a few seconds before blinking. The Harry copy then stretched and tried moving the body, seeming to get a feel for it.

"That's better, I was beginning to miss my arms and legs", he said with a grin and turned his attention to her Veela core. "So this is what a female Veela core looks like…"

He frowned. "It's quite small compared to mine."

Her eyes nearly bugged out at that statement. Before she had always imagined her core to be average size, but this orb in front of her was positively huge. She had never seen _his_ core, but how could it possibly be bigger than this.

"Small? It's hundred times bigger than it should be", she almost screeched.

"Relax", he said at an attempt to soothe her, but he kept his eyes on her core. "It looks a bit unstable. Have you tried connecting to your core or using your power yet?"

"Just two times; before with the Veela flame", she said and fiddled nervously with her fingers. But regardless it would be smart to tell the truth. "And once when I tried to use my Allure on you in the Hospital Wing."

He arched a brow but otherwise seemed to care nothing for it. "I suppose neither worked perfectly, or at least not as you had intended?"

She nodded. "It's like I can't keep a proper hold on my powers, and I have been unable to completely control, like it's slipping through my hands. But with my core like this, it's a wonder I was even able to create the flame before."

"Sounds like it. I'd really rather not interfere with anything here, but perhaps you should try to calm it down?"

She nodded, and neglected to point out the obviousness of the statement. Evening out her breathing she focused on the giant floating, convulsing red orb that was her Veela core.

She reached out with her consciousness and layered it around the core, touching every part of it with her mind. She could feel Harry's presence all around her, though dimmed as if not fully. The turmoil on the orb was clear as soon as she touched, and she felt as if she was caught on the sea in the middle of a storm, and it almost swept her away, threatening to consume her.

With a great exertion of will she tried to force this ocean to calm, the storm to break. The core slowly began to calm, and when it was finally beginning to return to normal she felt a violent spasm and suddenly found herself back in front of the core. It was convulsing worse than before, and panic seeped into her being again.

"Fleur", Harry said harshly, making her flinch and turn her attention to him. "Calm down. Panicking won't help matters at all."

"But how can I not panic?", she asked franticly, and gestured at the convulsing red orb. "Can't you see what's happening?"

"Why not let me help?", he said, contemplating. "Two might succeed where one failed. Besides we still don't know the extent of my powers, perhaps they can be of help here."

"Okay", she said in a quavering voice, while fixing her gaze back of her Veela core. "I don't any other options."

Without further words she let herself completely go to the presence of Harry, letting further into her own being that she would have ever thought, and she felt their wills and intents mix and focus on one single goal.

She didn't see anything happening, she however felt a myriad of happenings all around her, could feel _him_ flowing all around her, and could feel herself flowing all throughout him. She however again was completely stumped at the presence of him as she felt part of him smothering her Veela core in an essence that was _him_ in his purest forms, all that represented him, and with it came an iron will that gently intermingled with her own..

She could _feel_ her succeeding with him where she before had failed without him. His presence enveloped the red orb, and where she had failed he simply breezed through with her help. He didn't allow anything to stand in his path, any uprising from the unstable core was met with extreme force and any irregularities were quickly quelled and stomped out. However like with before they also met unexpected resistance from her core.

The core began convulsing strongly, and despite not seeing anything on copy Harry's face she could feel that he with his current power level was fighting strongly against the now very unstable core, despite her own efforts as well. She could _feel_ his frustration and resignation just before she felt an even bigger amount of power flow through her being causing all her nerves to tingle pleasurably.

The new wave of power joined in with his already considerable power and quashed all resistance, and finally her core seemed to completely settle down.

Her relief however was short-lived as she felt the commanding presence of Harry disappear, although not entirely. But such dealings were bound to leave some sort of residue, but that was all it was, a mere memory of his presence, for there could be no doubt that he was no longer there as she felt the union they had been dissipate in the blink of an eye.

With him went the power, and suddenly she was alone in her own being again, and after having completely accepted him here, it felt lonely being there on her own. However what worried her more was the abrupt departure of Harry, he wouldn't simply leave without a word, especially after having done something of this magnitude.

She tentatively reached out to her core again and was relieved to find that it was back to normal, that is if you discounted the surprise she felt at the discovery that the core hadn't diminished in size at all after being stabilized.

Such ponderings would have to wait though, because checking up on Harry was certainly more important.

Seconds later she was back in the outside world again, only to see Harry on all fours panting heavily from exertion, and his skin glistened with sweat. She quickly scrambled down beside him, lending assistance to the weary boy.

"Harry!", she said in a frantic voice. "Are you okay Harry?"

Harry took a couple of deep breaths again before answering her. "I'm fine, just took a lot out of me. I've never drawn so heavily on my powers before."

He rolled over on his back and let out another deep breath, and she thought nothing of it as she drew his head onto her lap.

She was immensely relieved that he was alright, but the way he had matched his strength against hers, against her now huge core, was slightly unnerving and only served to raise even more questions about him.

"Harry", she said gently. "Was that your full Veela power?"

"Hmm?", he mumbled and opened his eyes to look at her. "That wasn't my full strength; I was only at about half."

Brief shock registered in her mind, and she almost shook at the prospect of his true strength, it was almost terrifying. To think that his strength was so great, so much greater than hers, she really felt small in comparison, though she knew that compared to other Veela she was on a whole other level. However, she was also no longer as surprised at the possibilities of him doing something thought impossible.

"If that's not your full power, then why are you so exhausted?", she asked with a frown.

He chuckled. "I don't think my body is used to that amount of power, and it simply wore me out. I'm so tired I can't even begin to imagine how it would be to use a hundred percent of it."

He then fixed her with a sharp stare. "But if your power ever gets out of control like that again, don't postpone checking up on it. I would rather have to try that again anytime soon."

"I can't blame, because neither would I.", she said, though a small prick of disappointment registered at the intimacy shared between them during the ordeal, which was now lost.

"I hope that there won't be any ill effects", he said. "I don't know what might come of my core coming into so direct contact with your own."

"But it's better than the alternative right?", she said after having pondered his words for a small while, though she chose to focus on the positive aspects.

"Yea, I suppose it is", he said with a small smile and yawned. "Mind if I take a quick nap?"

She smiled down at him. "Go ahead."

She had work to do, now that her Veela core had grown so much, she would have to test the limits of her control again.

DB -

Dream -

_A tall figure, swathed in deep red robes, almost the color of blood, glided down a corridor._

_Her face was covered by the shade of the hood. The only thing that showed that she was female was the sway of the hips and the, due to the robes, barely noticeable bust. Out of the shade of the hood several lustrous and silky strands of blonde hair was visible._

_The corridor she was walking through was dimly lit, lined with torches on each side, although scarce. It had an ancient feel to it, and the walls showed signs of age, though no smell indicated it, rather it had the smell of a well-kept home. The only sound that could be heard was the soft clapping of shoes on the ground as she walked further down the corridor with a determined stride._

_She reached a set of heavy oaken doors, more than a head taller than she was, but they unlike the corridor, were in pristine condition, as though they were a more recent addition._

_She pressed the palm of her hand against the door, showing ivory-white delicate skin and slender fingers. The surface of the door which had before been as rock to the touch seemed to ripple, and everywhere the ripple touched the door disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place. Suddenly voices could be heard, dainty melodious laughter could be heard, and when she stepped into the room it was hard not to notice the eight occupants, regardless of them being swathed in the same robes as her. They all had an air of power about them, just as she had._

_The room itself stood in total contrast to the corridor which led to it. It seemed cozy and homey, but also awe-inspiring and that was despite its very Spartan layout. The room was dominated by a round table in the middle of the room, and no other seating accommodations could be found, and the only decorations in the room were several tapestries and a fireplace, though it remained unlit._

_When she entered the room they all quickly gathered at the table and took a seat silently, and it was obvious that tension lay thick in the room. All the seats were simple, but had a touch of old that might scare more than inspire, and the nine occupants now took a seat only leaving a tenth seat open and unoccupied. On the back of each seat was engraved a number from one to ten, carved sinisterly into the wood and she had occupied seat number one._

"_We all know why we have gathered here. We have all felt the arrival, the birth of a new one, the Tenth one. We all felt when the power arose and we all felt it be stabilized", 1__st__ seat said in an authoritative tone, letting her gaze rest at all of their cloaked faces for a few seconds._

_3__rd__ seat arose, and a few deep red strands of hair feel from the confines of the hood. "But something was wrong about the way the powers were brought under control. We have all been through this, and all of us almost died. This one wasn't even close to that point. There must have been some external source to stabilize it. Who can do something like that?"_

_7__th__ seat supplied the answer. "No one can. No one is supposed to be able to do it."_

_2__nd__ seat sneered. "Have you all forgotten the Red Scripts?"_

"_You've got to be kidding me. That's only a myth, a tale told to children. Nothing more", 6__th__ snorted._

"_Myth? This order of ours is based on something from that myth, these halls, this room is from those myths. This very place is proof that this myth is real. These chairs have been here for centuries, millennia maybe, we have no idea how long back we have to go to find the beginnings of this order. We all believed the myth to the extent that we haven't even thought of the possibility that there might be another one besides the Tenth", 2__nd__ seat replied._

_"What is your point?", the until now silent 8__th__ seat asked in a calm tone._

_You couldn't see the smile, but you hear it in the amused tone that entered her voice. "I think you know what I'm trying to say, but I will indulge you. The Red Scripts say: 'The Birth of the Tenth declares the Birth of the One'."_

_6__th__ sighed. "But we don't know what 'The Birth of the One' even means or who or what it refers to."_

_2ns pressed on. "But isn't it a strange coincidence that it is the Tenth that's stabilized by an outside source, especially when you take into account this One."_

"_What are you suggesting the One are?", 8__th__ asked in the same calm tone._

"_The Ten are on a level above our sisters, is it that much of a stretch to believe that the One, whoever it is, is even stronger than us? All the signs, everything in the Scripts points to it being one like us, only stronger."_

"_It might also just mean that we will succeed in uniting our people as one, I refuse to believe that it signals one stronger than us, it's irrational and I consider it an insult to even imply it", 6__th__ raged._

"_Silence", 1__st__ shouted, effectively stopping all bickering. "That is not what we came here to discuss. If we find proof that 'The Birth of the One' is true, then we will take appropriate measures. The question however is, who should be sent to the Tenth and teach her how to grasp full control as well as her role."_

_There were some quiet murmuring around the table, and suddenly 2__nd__ seat stood up. "I will take the Tenth under my tutelage and teach her the extent of her powers, and the duties that come with them."_

_The 1__st__ just nodded gravely, mirrored by a few others, though some seemed to fix looks on her. Suddenly 3__rd__ seat stood up as well._

"_I will accompany you, and assist in any way I can in regards to her tutelage. But mainly I will be going to discover the root as to the disturbance in her stabilization, we have to know what happened", 3__rd__ seat said with a formal air._

"_I can assure you that I will be able to educate this new addition adequately enough", 2__nd__ answered, in a bit of an annoyed tone._

"_I have no qualms about the way you educate the Tenth. If you feel you don't need my help, then I will leave it all in your hands. However regardless of you accepting my help or not I will be going to find the Tenth and try to determine what this outside source was. It's too important to simply ignore", 3__rd__ replied with a small bit of anger in her voice._

"_Calm yourself down", 9__th__ said in an icy voice. "I am not in the mood to hear you throwing tantrums."_

_1__st__ simply nodded. "She is correct, and I see no reason as to why both of you shouldn't be able to go. One will simply just be in charge of educating the Tenth and the other will attempt to discover the origins of this external source."_

"_We expect you to be able to work together despite any differences you may have, understood?", 9__th__ continued in that same icy tone._

"_Nothing will ever be in the way of handling the training of the Tenth, just as there were nothing in the way of your training", 3__rd__ bit back. "We will handle this matter with the care and delicacy it requires."_

_1__st__ nodded again. "Good now that that is taking care of, we have the matter of our friend in the British Department of Magical Travel. He seems to have outlived his usefulness, and will need to be… disposed of. I assure you can handle this", she said and turned to look at 6__th__._

"_It will be done. He knows too much which may draw unwanted attention to us, and it wouldn't do for the world to know of us yet", 6__th__ replied. "I think a little accident is in order."_

_The room got blurry and seemed to spin around slowly, but gaining speed._

_The figures opened and closed their mouths but no sound came out._

''_**Arry'**_

_The source of the voice could not be located, and none of the figures seemed to have noticed anything amiss._

"'_**ARRY!"**_

End of Dream -

"'ARRY!", Fleurs voice cut through his hazy dream, which was already retreating into the back of his mind, and startled him awake. His eyes jerked open to see her radiant blue staring down at him.

"You have an agreement with miss Greengrass, non?", she said in a now quiet voice, with a sweet smile playing on her lips. "She would be quite upset if you didn't have time for her."

He grinned. "I don't think she will, at least not much, but it would still be rude, and Daphne did agree to help me."

A frown appeared quickly on her face, but disappeared just as quickly, and Harry wouldn't have noticed it had it not been for the small fluctuation in jealousy he could feel coming from her. It actually was a tad bit heartwarming.

"You haven't forgotten about our trip to Hogsmeade have you?", he asked with a smile.

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask 'Arry?", she asked with a suspicious stare, but he could feel the apprehension flowing through her. He was actually quite pleased with the development of his ability to feel the emotions of others, though it was a wee bit taxing when in larger crowds, like the Great Hall. However, this ability also seemed to be determined by the degree of Allure he used, meaning with a low Allure, it was only people in his very immediate vicinity he picked up on.

"Nothing special really. I just thought I'd mention that there will be a small change of plans. I heard a new classy restaurant opened in Hogsmeade and I think we should go there, but that means the dress code went from casual to classy", he said with a slight grin, and was a little happy to feel the nervousness disappear, although it didn't vanish entirely.

"I will be sure to remember", she replied joyously.

"Good", he said and stood up. "I think it's time I go see Daphne now, and see what she has in store for me. So take care, and try to get a hang of your powers again. It would clearly benefit you to be able to control a power that can put a dragon to sleep."

He chuckled at her wide-eyed face. Truth be told, he would have thought it to be just another silly rumor, had he not seen her Veela core for himself, and knew how it worked, although his knowledge was lacking. But apparently she hadn't thought he would know, at least her expression said so.

"Yea I knew", he said with mirth. "But I think it's about time I get going. I have an appointment to keep."

Fleur really was a special person, not because she had Veela heritage, but because she understood to a certain degree how he felt, with her often being the center of attention. It was one of the reasons he wanted to get to know her, and then there was the fact some of his interest was piqued because she was a Veela.

Soon enough he was back inside the castle and had his aura at the usual four percent. Low enough to not cause any real commotion, but enough to ensure that none would try to ruin his day, at least not those of the female gender and odds were that they would keep their more hot-headed male friend in check and make sure they didn't bother him.

He soon located Daphne, it was hard not to, she after all did stand out from the general mediocrity of Hogwarts. Admittedly he did find the general level of attractiveness in witches to exceed those of muggles, but that was probably from all sorts of small alterations. Hermione had for an example reduced the length of her front teeth, to ensure that she was no longer the target of the joke of being a beaver.

Daphne however even stood out among the Hogwarts witches, not only because she was that much more naturally attractive, but had much more distinguishing features; her dirty blonde hair, the slight tan, the easily recognizable feminine curves. The school robes did nothing to detract from her beauty, and from the looks she was subject to, that much was easy to see.

Daphne noticed him as he calmly strode towards her, and he could see and feel the she fought against the urge to smile, after all it wouldn't do for a Slytherin to be caught being overly friendly with a Gryffindor in public. But she couldn't keep that glimmer out of her eyes.

"Hello Daphne", he greeted when he reached her.

"Harry", she replied coolly, and if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she wanted to be rid of him. Her emotions however told a different tale.

"Did you have any problems today?", he asked in lower tone. He really was a bit worried about her situation, and he could feel anger and rage seep into his being at just the mere thought of someone hurting her.

She shook her head. "None that's worth mentioning. Just a few snide remarks from Malfoy's group. They really are a pathetic bunch. I can't till I can deal with them properly."

He grinned at her. He liked this side of her, she had a sadistic streak a mile long, and she really enjoyed seeing people hurt. But it was only people that got in her way, or annoyed her that would be on the receiving end of such treatment.

"And I can't wait to watch you deal with them, but until then, we need to control ourselves. But that doesn't mean we can't make his and the life of his cronies miserable, right?", he said with a bright grin.

She just nodded with an evil look in her eyes.

"So where should we go for this training?"

"Seventh floor", she said simply, and he understood immediately. Indeed the Room of Requirement would be the perfect place to do this.

He nodded to signal that he'd understood, and followed her and it was by now he noticed all the nasty glares she was the target of, most from the girls though.

"So", he said once they were out of earshot of the students. "How far on the Diggory and Krum situation are we?"

"I have a person in Hufflepuff keeping an eye on Diggory. Krum however is harder to deal with, but I have hope that I will be able to carry out your orders", she replied in a low tone, so as to not be overheard despite them being the only ones in the corridor.

He waved it off. "Be sure to not put yourself at any significant risk. This is after all still a game."

"I understand."

"So what kind of training are we going to do?", he inquired curiously.

"We are going to continue with your Occlumency training", she replied. "Since it helps you to focus your mind faster it will also help with our training in regards to penetrating dragonhide. It's like hitting two birds with one stone."

"Sounds good to me", he said as they neared the Room of Requirement. He let her do the honors of bringing the door forth.

The room definitely reflected Daphne. It was a dangerous mix of Slytherin green and silver, but with a dark violet mixed in here and there. The room was split in two sections. One resembled almost a living room of sorts, with what looked like extremely comfortable furniture and in a corner of that section was a large canopy bed, which also looked so comfortable, that he was sure there was some health risk in sleeping in it. It looked to be the perfect living arrangements.

The other part however resembled some sort of practice pit, emulating some real life environment with targets set up all around. It was a fantastic idea and he mentally scolded himself for not doing this when he'd discovered the place earlier in the year.

"This is your room", he stated. "Rather quaint, but nice. I love the practice pit."

Daphne laughed. "I thought it was a great feature as well, though I haven't really had a chance to test it out yet."

"It's almost too bad we have to find a new place", he sighed, again mentally running over his options.

"We shouldn't waste time Master", Daphne said, knocking him out of his stupor.

"Yes, let's get started", he said and clapped his hands resolutely. "Should I just continue like I usually do? You know meditating and trying to clear my mind?"

She nodded in affirmative and he sat down in the lotus position on a newly appeared pillow and started clearing his mind. It was easier than usual, but that might be because he'd worked off some of his stress regarding his new powers on Louise. But he found focusing on nothing infinitely easier.

His eyes were closed, and it was like he was in a daze. He was focusing on nothing, on trying to picture a scene, but without taking any special notice of anything, but still 'seeing' them. Focusing on everything and nothing at the same time was the way one went about the preliminary steps of Occlumency. Problem was that even though it was easier than ever, it was still bloody hard.

Random images just kept flickering around in his imagination though at less frequent intervals now, interrupting his attention. But regardless it still went better than any previous attempts, and he had made amazing progress.

But despite the joy of having progressed that far, he was more than fairly happy when Daphne four hours later pulled him out of his almost sleep-like trance, and announced it was time for a practical test of both his development with the Occlumency and the use of his hopefully greatly increased focus with the armor penetrating spells.

"Have you cleared your mind?", Daphne asked stoically.

He took some time to ready himself, clearing his mind completely, while still trying to concentrate on her. The thing about Occlumency and its counterpart Legilimency was that it took a long time to sufficiently do anything at all. You had to be able to call forth a state of mind where emotions were dulled at will, and that was hard if not impossible for many people, which explained the low amount of people employing such mind magic. Furthermore it took months, for some years to be able to become just slightly proficient in them.

So when he nodded his assent to her, and allowed her to intrude in his mind it was not surprising that when he felt her probe try to worm its way into his mind, he immediately tried to remain calm and follow her instructions, but the foreign tendril simply pushed through and it felt like it jumped left and right, and his defenses were blown away like a heap of leaves, and he felt the probe burrow deeper, though it was by no means painful.

_He was grumbling under his breath as he walked down the stairs from the boys' dorms. He had just had another row with Ron and then the git Dean simply had to get involved, and it came as no surprise that he sided with Ron immediately. The most ridiculous thing was that it was the same argument that had been running the last few weeks now._

_He huffed._

_The problem was that he was tired of taking all their bullshit, all their slandering and hidden insults. They still thought of him as some sort of glory hound, and it reflected on the way he had been treated in his own house. People were openly avoiding him._

_He really didn't know why he was still so surprised at Ron's behavior, it was easily becoming clear how fickle most of his friends actually were. The funny thing was the only one who didn't seem inclined to believe that he had not put his name in the Goblet of Fire was Hermione, but she didn't want to go against their entire house, so she had avoided him as well, though she had not done anything against him._

_Which left him the odd one out, the third wheel, and he had been summarily cut out of Gryffindor, like a boil._

_He punched the wall of the stairwell, ignoring the sting of pain he felt from flesh hitting solid stone._

_It felt good, letting off some steam, though he would have preferred if he had hit either one of those two assholes._

_The common room was surprisingly empty, though that might have something to do with it being late morning; most people were at breakfast at this point, as should he be._

_However one seemed to remain, another person he so didn't want to see right now. The bushy hair and the book holding her attention was an easy way to recognize Hermione Granger._

_He opted to simply ignore her and go get something to eat._

_He groaned when he heard her shuffle in her comfy chair, and cursed under his breath when he heard a book being closed._

"_Harry", she said loudly, trying to gain his attention, and unfortunately he knew she would be increasingly persistent about this. So he decided to deal with it right away._

"_Yes?", he said with a hint of anger._

_She looked uncertain for a second. "I know I haven't exactly been the best…", she managed before she trailed off._

"_Friend? Comrade? Chum?", he said scornfully. "Don't delude yourself. Your actions speak louder than any words, and they say you don't consider me a worthy enough friend to stand by anymore. Besides aren't you breaking your new policy just by talking to me?"_

_She blanched at his harsh words and seemed on the verge of tears, and he reveled in the warm feeling it brought him. This was no more than she deserved, and he was venting a bit of his stress on her._

"_If it makes you feel any better", he said sadistically. "The feeling is mutual."_

A growl rose in his throat. This wasn't supposed to happen; this was his mind nobody was allowed to touch what was his. This was a challenge for dominance, and with that realization he felt ice cold rage ascertain itself. With the oath of never letting himself lose control of his life again, he forced away the panic he'd felt before and took a steel grip on the intruding presence, intending to utterly crush it.

However screams broke him from his intended course and his focus to slipped allowing the probe to withdraw.

His eyes instantly focused on the blonde-haired girl in front of him, and the fear that was visible in her eyes allowed him to calm down, and he took a few deep breaths, before he quickly scrambled over and gathered the frightened girl into his arms.

"Calm down Daphne", he said softly. "Nothing's going to happen. You can calm down now."

It took a few minutes, but the girl eventually did relax, and he felt the need to ask her what had happened.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

She took a deep shuddering breath, and when she spoke in was in her normal calm tone. "I'm not completely certain. When I got through your defenses I had intended to simply draw out again, but one of your memories managed to impose itself on me, forcing us both to view it. But nothing was like it was supposed to be, your mind felt… _alien_. Like nothing I've ever felt before, it was like it was naturally resisting me. It was like no human mind I have ever felt, and I have felt a few during my stay here."

"You're saying my mind felt different from others? How so?", he asked curiously.

He could feel the uncertainty becoming the most dominant feeling in her.

"I'm not sure, but for some reason trying to intrude on your mind was difficult, very difficult. It was like it wasn't completely… human. As if it made sense, but just not to me", she said uncertainly. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He nodded slowly. "I think I have an inkling, but it will have to wait till later. I need more information myself before I can tell you anything."

She nodded solemnly.

"But isn't this a good thing?", he said brightly. "Doesn't this mean that my mind just have natural defenses, and we would only have to work less to achieve our goal?"

"Perhaps", she said after a while. "It's getting late Master and we still need to find a place where we can live."

"Yea, you're right. So have you found anything for us?"

"I know of a few places that might be of interest", she said with a thoughtful frown. "And if none of them suit your needs, we could call on your friend. He might be able to help us."

"Great", he said and softly stroked her hair once before getting up, and extending a hand to her. "Let's have a look at them shall we, and we'll work on the spells tomorrow right? We do after all have an entire weekend ahead of us; we might as well make it count."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Follow me then", she said and led the way out of the Room of Requirement, albeit on slightly unsteady feet.

It was about time for dinner soon, which explained the lack of students in the hallways, and it made it easier to search for the rooms that Daphne had in mind. He fully expected the ban that his current housemates had mentioned would be issued tomorrow or the following day, if it wasn't already. But the fact was that he would have to find some new rooms, which were a bit more private than any he'd be assigned by the faculty.

Daphne had really done a good job of finding several places that might work out, but none of them really did the job for him. He wanted quarters not a room, he wanted a place with a bedroom, several guest rooms, a sort of common room and a study or something, and most of the places they visited didn't live up to those requirements.

After having visited three such places his stomach grumbled loudly, calling his attention to his lack of dinner.

"Daphne", he said gaining the attention of said girl. "Are the other rooms like these?"

"Yes", she said with a bowed head, and he could feel the shame at not being able to find what he had been looking for. He frowned slightly at how hard she took failure, and resigned himself to talking to her about it at a later date.

"Don't worry, I knew it would be hard to find what I asked for, but we still have an ace up our sleeve", he said and winked at her, before schooling his face into an emotionless mask and calling for a 'Dobby'.

"You called, greatest wizard master Harry Potter", Dobby said enthusiastically. "How can Dobby be of help to great Harry Potter?"

Harry chuckled. "Me and my friend here are looking for another place to live in Hogwarts, preferably completely separate quarters from the other houses. You know bedroom, some guestrooms, a common room and a study or something, something that people won't just stumble across. Do you know of any place like that here?"

Dobby adopted a thoughtful look and scrunched his face up in concentration. If Harry hadn't known him from earlier on, he'd have thought the elf in pain from the expression he was wearing.

Dobby's face suddenly lit up in a bright smile. "I do master Harry Potter sir", the easily excitable elf said. "Follow me sir, and sir's friend."

And so they found themselves following a hyperactive house elf down the corridors and eventually found themselves on the third floor and despite it being several years ago it was still mostly abandoned. Apparently people had listened to the headmaster when he had told them to stay away from the third floor, even though there was no longer any need.

Dobby led them down a series of winding paths, until he finally stopped outside a remarkably plain door, and dobby squeaked 'tall tales' causing the door to swing inward, revealing a large antechamber. It seemed to serve as some sort of living room with a couple of couches, a fireplace, a large table off to the side and some paintings decorating the walls. However it seemed like it had not been cleaned in quite a while, if the layer of dust was any indication.

Dobby snapped his fingers once and all the dust was cleared away, and the place seemed like it had never seen a speck of dust in the last decade. The couches were all a deep blue color, complimented by a light brown every once in a while.

"What is this place Dobby?", Harry asked curiously, studying the room with Daphne. He opened one of the two doors leading on from this room, and found a small hallway lined with three doors on each side and at the end of was a set of magnificent double doors.

"This is the rooms for governors sir", Dobby answered with a squeak. "Other elves tell Dobby that the rooms have not been used in a long time sir."

"Excellent, this is brilliant Dobby", he praised the elf as he took stock of the rooms down the corridor. Many of them were actually just extra bedrooms, though they were exceptionally big, definitely larger than both of Dudley's bedrooms combined, and extremely extravagant. The rooms all contained a large four-poster bed, a couple of chairs, a tea table and a desk.

She heard a loud gasp from the antechamber and hurried back to the antechamber where he had left Daphne and quickly walked to the only other open door in the room, and upon entering said room he also couldn't help but gasp slightly, because the sight that met him was amazing.

The bathroom was more than amazing. It was like a miniature swimming pool, and even had a shower, and from what he could see a sauna as well. It was amazing, and it smelled amazing. He could see why Daphne had been awestruck by this place, and the normally cool and collected Slytherin now stood mouth agape staring at the bathroom which was twice as big as the antechamber.

"This place is perfect Harry", she said breathlessly.

He chuckled. "I have to agree with you. But let's check out the rest of the rooms before we head down for dinner", he said and leaned in close to her ear. "And can you deal with Dobby? I think it's best if only we know we're here right now."

She nodded and turned with a smile to the elf. As he left the room he heard 'obliviate' being said loud and clearly before he exited the bathroom. He opened the last door on the right of the small hallway revealing a cozy study, with a great desk in the middle of the room and big comfy chair. All in all the perfect study, just what he had been looking for. The walls were lined with several bookcases, though they were not overly stuffed with books.

Daphne joined a minute later, voicing her approval of the study as well, and they both agreed that so far the place had exceeded both their expectations.

"Well, let's save the big surprise for later shall we", he said and waggled his brows. "I'm sure the bedroom will be even better than any of the other rooms. Besides I'm kind of hungry."

As if to prove his words, his stomach grumbled loudly.

"Of course Master", she agreed instantly. "I sent the elf away, after obliviating him. He will only remember cleaning the hallways on this floor nothing more."

He nodded and smiled at her. "Good", he praised her, and he could see and feel the satisfaction oozing off her. "I would prefer if as few people as possible knew of this place."

When they left the room, he double checked to ensure that the password he'd heard Dobby mutter was indeed the correct one, and when the door swung open he was more than satisfied with the place. The day so far had been rewarding, albeit a bit taxing.

However much to his annoyance it seemed his day was far from being over, because the second he walked into the Great Hall he was called upon by his Head of House, Minerva McGonagall.

He sighed as he joined her at the staff table.

"What is this about Professor?", he asked tiredly, although he was pretty sure that he knew what she wanted to talk about.

She glared disapprovingly at his tone. "It is regarding a petition that your fellow housemates have submitted to me. Do you know what I speak of?"

"You mean the House Ban or whatever it was? Yea I knew of it, and quite frankly I encouraged it. I would rather not be associated with such a bunch of bigoted, fickle, silly bunch of cowards", he said frostily, and he knew the only reason Snape refrained from badmouthing him right now was because he was immensely enjoying hearing him put down the Gryffindor house.

"Mister Potter that is no way to speak of your fellow students, you will talk appropriately in this school", she scolded him in a heated tone.

He couldn't help but snort and he could practically feel the anger rolling off of Daphne in waves. He could feel she wanted nothing more than to jump to his defense, but he had explicitly commanded her not to interfere when this setting came to pass.

"You mean I'm not to talk ill of my former housemates, despite them being allowed to sneer and throw petty insults at me? With all due respect that's bollocks", he growled.

"Why, in all my years I've never…"

"Whatever", he said dismissively. "So I assume the ban is in effect as of now?"

Her lips thinned in anger, but she held it tightly leashed. This was extremely fun, goading people really were fun.

"You would be correct to assume that Mister Potter, and you might not be aware of this, but this house ban is permanent, there is no way for you to be allowed to reenter that house", she said tightly. That did throw him for a loop, that he had not known, but honestly it wasn't like it really mattered to him. He had no intentions of rejoining his house.

"That would make sense", he agreed. "But I don't think I will ever have the inclination to rejoin that petty house. Unfortunately it seems to be a pandemic; the other houses act exactly the same."

She nodded curtly, though he assumed it took all her will-power to refrain from making any comments. "However the rule of this particular event also allows for a possible resorting of you, if you wish so, but the Gryffindor house will forever be impossible for you to reenter."

"I assume it is not mandatory to go through this resorting", Harry asked courteously.

"Indeed it is not, though I would sharply recommend it."

"I think I will pass", he said, with a frown. "I'd rather not have it burrowing around in my head a second time."

"I am allowed to get my stuff from the Gryffindor tower, right? And where will I sleep now?", he queried.

"Of course you will be allowed to do so, though it will have to happen immediately after this meal, as the password will be changed this evening when curfew arrives. Furthermore you will be living in one of the guestrooms, a house elf will be sent to you after this is done to show you to your new room."

"Good I assume that was all. So am I allowed to _partake_ in this glorious meal?"

"Not quite yet, I still have to make it official", she said and stood up facing the students currently eating, many of whom seemed to have been following their exchange, despite only being able to have head tidbits of the conversation.

"As the Head of House of Gryffindor and by the power invested in me by Hogwarts, and on behalf of the Students of Gryffindor, I, Minerva Cassandra McGonagall, hereby declare that Harry James Potter is, as of right now, no longer a Gryffindor. He has been cast away in disgrace, and will no longer bear the colors of our House", she said formally.

Harry rolled his eyes. Yep, that definitely did sound like something they would say some thousand years ago.

Silence reigned in the great hall at that pronouncement, and it seemed that the students didn't know how to react, that of course was only until both Fleur and Louise jumped to their legs and began cursing in French, or at least he assumed that was what they were doing.

Both of the girls stormed up to him and grabbed him in a hug, while cursing all of the teachers in French, though they weren't too busy to send nasty looks at each other. This seemed to be the catalyst for the remaining students as pandemonium suddenly reigned in the Great Hall.

"That will be enough", Dumbledore thundered, and stood up, causing all the students to quiet down. He turned his attention to the two girls currently hanging on him. "And you two, I am not fond of having my teachers sexual decency brought into question."

"I don't know, I honestly don't think Snape has any", Harry muttered.

"What was that Harry?", Dumbledore asked in a dangerous tone.

"Nothing", he replied. "Now can I go get something to eat?"

"Of course you can Harry", Dumbledore said amiably.

Harry nodded curtly and was half-dragged, half-pulled to the Ravenclaw table by the two angry Beauxbaton girls, who didn't bother to hide the dirty looks they sent at the staff table as they walked back.

Daphne followed quietly behind, and he could sense that she was sharply observing what was going on in the hall.

He was resolutely sat down among the French students at the end of the table, where Fleur and Louise each took a seat by his sides; whereas Daphne opted to simply sit opposite him. There was no need for her to sit at the Slytherin table, on the contrary there was a chance it would actually be dangerous, maybe no to a lethal degree, but they wouldn't shy away from cursing her if they got the chance. The fact that he had actively sought her out that morning had only rushed the inevitable.

But it wasn't like she couldn't defend herself. In truth if half of what he suspected proved to be true, then she stood a far better chance at defending herself than he ever did, and he considered himself passing fair at that particular subject.

"What was that about Harry?", Louise asked in concern, though he could feel a great deal of anger at him being put in that situation.

"Nothing I didn't already know was coming. To be truthful I actually egged it on by provoking the Gryffindors, so I am partially at fault," he explained.

"But still for them to do that…", Louise growled.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked at each of them in turn. "Truth be told; I was just getting tired of the way people were treating me, and not even in my own House did I get any peace. So I provoked them, though it was them who came up with the idea, I just sort of pushed it along. I wanted out of the House and so I baited them till they did it", he said in resignation. "I just hadn't thought they would be so fast."

"The Gryffindors are horrible", Fleur exclaimed from beside him.

He turned his head to her and smiled. "You know, just last year I would have taken a personal affront to such a statement."

"And now?", she asked with a grin.

He grinned back at her. "Now I say, give it your best shot, I can't honestly be forced to care. I will just sit back and enjoy the show. It is after all their own fault, throwing the Boy-Who-Lived out of their house wasn't a smart move. The press will have a field day with this one I think."

"Oh I will give it my best shot", he heard Louise mutter beside and turned to see her throwing glares at the Gryffindor table.

He would have to watch her, because from what he could feel then she was liable to do something pretty nasty to the next Gryffindor she stumbled upon, provided she could get away with it of course.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled disarmingly at her when she turned her head back to him, and he could immediately feel her mellow out as evidenced by the smile and adoring eyes. "Don't do anything drastic okay? It really doesn't mean that much to me, after all I wanted to get out of the house, and I got what I wanted."

"You can't just let them get away with disgracing you like…", she started, but trailed off under the his harsh gaze.

He smiled brightly at her again. "You misunderstand me Louise. I never said I would let them get away with it, I just asked you to take care."

"Harry", Daphne said quietly, bringing his attention on herself. "Take a look at your robes."

He did as she asked and laughed at what he saw. Apparently just as his robes had been charmed to originally show his house status, it now reflected his status as houseless. This was shown by being the same black and grey robes as they had been the day he started his wizarding education.

"It seems they work quickly", he laughed. "But at least now I'm not in any way associated with Gryffindor any longer."

"Except you still have to visit them one more time to pack your possessions", Daphne remarked.

"Don't remind me", he groaned and dropped his head in his hands. Both Fleur and Louise snickered slightly at his antics, and even Daphne curled her lips slightly upwards.

Despite the occurrence earlier, he and the three girls all got along great, at least on the surface. It seemed Fleur and Louise viewed each other as a sort of rivals, and they sent each other heated looks when they thought he wouldn't notice.

But the peace of his meal was undisturbed by all the students, despite him being the topic of almost every conversation currently running as well as the subject of several covert looks. None of them had gathered the necessary courage to approach him and his little entourage.

However, only one person was foolish enough to do so, and that someone was Malfoy, who took it upon himself to bother him. Of course the ferret was also flanked by his two loyal trolls, better known as Crabbe and Goyle.

"It seems not even your own house wants you Potter", Draco said scornfully, pushing his chest forth to emphasize the badge that was a lame attempt to belittle Harry, though a surprising amount of students had taken to wearing them. "Must make you sad to know that not even the mudblood or the Weasel wants anything to do with you."

He smiled at Draco, attempting to throw the boy of guard. "Why hello Draco old chum. How's your mum?"

"What?", he asked stiffly.

"You know the woman who gave birth to you?", he mocked him, before adopting a thoughtful look. "You know if she wasn't your mother I would have guessed her to only be some and twenty. I'm sure she's popular among your fathers friends."

"Why you…", Draco hissed and reached into his robes.

"Ta, ta, ta Draco. I wouldn't do that, especially not in front of all these teachers", he said in mock-consternation. "Besides why get so angry? After all it is the truth; your mom is quite attractive."

Draco face turned red, but Harry just plowed on. "I mean, I only saw her for a few minutes at the world cup, but I instantly wanted to rip off her clothes and simply ravish her", he got a foggy look in his eyes as he remembered the day at the world cup, before he looked at Draco with a serious expression. "You think there is a possibility that you might be adopted? I mean someone with as great genes as your mom couldn't possibly have made you, or else you're just like one of those once in a millennia flukes."

He shrugged his shoulders. "In which case I feel sorry for your mom. But I still think my theory is more sound than you actually coming from the same gene pool."

Draco sneered and leaned closer. "Mark my words Potter, you will pay for this." And as if to emphasize his threat the two brainless knuckleheads flanking him cracked their knuckles threateningly.

Harry leaned even closer and adopted the same tone. "And you mark my words Draco. One day I will bend your dear old mum over and have my wicked way with her, and I want you to know that it will all be because of you. All because of the way you've been acting, like a spoiled little brat."

He didn't actually want anything to do with Mrs. Malfoy, she might be a beautiful woman, but she was as obnoxious as her husband and her son, and he'd rather spend time with someone worth the time. The only reason he said it was to rile up Draco, and it sure did the trick.

Draco visibly blanched at that before his eyes filled with a fiery anger, but he fought to bring it under control and sneered at him before turning to Daphne.

"What are you doing here with Potter?"

Daphne's eyes narrowed at Draco. "Who I associate with is none of your business Malfoy, and if you keep meddling in my affairs you will find the results most _uncomfortable_."

"You will find that as long as you're a Slytherin then it concerns all of your housemates, which includes me", he said harshly, before a malicious grin entered his visage. "I think it's about time our dear Head of House were told about the student that has been missing from their beds these last couple of days, don't you agree Daphne?"

Her eyes briefly flickered to him, and he nodded slightly, causing her to smile back at Draco. "Of course, I'm glad someone is finally going to do it. I'm sure the student will be more than thrilled."

He got a confused look on his face, and Harry laughed at the blonde boy.

Draco sneered at Harry, and turned to leave, followed by his two goons. "I will get you back for this Potter."

Harry just waved cheerily at the departing boy. "Tell your mum I said hello, and that I would be delighted to meet her under better circumstances."

He snickered at the disgruntled Draco as he stormed back to the Slytherin table. "Ahh, I needed that, poor sod was asking for it."

"But isn't it going too far to insinuate something…", Fleur began, before a completely serious Harry cut her off.

"A bit yes", he shrugged. "But he has been getting on my nerves these last couple of days and why would I be interested in her, she's as horrid as her husband. Besides, why waste my time on her when fate has blessed with your delightful company?"

All three girls beamed at the compliment, however corny it was, but he could make even the corniest lines into the best pick-up lines with just a dash of his allure.

"I'm stuffed", Harry said and patted his stomach. In truth he had been a good bit hungrier than he had thought, but days such as this could get to a guy.

"I don't suppose any of you want to join me on the glorious journey to the Gryffindor tower, to see the gits that now infest the place? It could be your only time to ever see the legendary Gryffindor tower, at least from the inside", he said in his best salesman tone.

"I think I will take you up on that offer, I think I want to see the House that was so eager to give you up", Louise said heatedly, and not a second later Daphne and Fleur had thrown in their own consent.

He smiled evilly. "This will be good; they won't even know what to do when I turn up with you."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see McGonagall talk to several students from the Gryffindor house; all the six prefects, as well as Ron and Hermione. Soon after large chunks of red and gold-clothed students left the Great Hall, until the Gryffindor table was almost completely devoid of people.

They were probably waiting for him in the common room so they could have their chance to 'disown' him aswell.

He mused. "I think they will be waiting for me in the common room. So they probably have something planned. This is your last chance to bail."

"Run from Gryffindors? I don't think so", Daphne snorted. "But why not interrupt them before they finish whatever preparations they have in mind?"

He shrugged and stood up. "We might aswell."

The trip was unremarkable; they met no more students after they left the usual humdrum. The portraits however were unusually quiet and stared at him with something approaching shock. But the Fat Lady proved to be the biggest surprise. She was redfaced and seething when they reached her, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at Harry.

"So the lost son of Gryffindor returns", she yelled. She had never been very good at keeping her temper under control.

"'The lost son of Gryffindor'? Very original", he commented. "Mind letting me in? I've got some stuff I want to pick up."

"Password", she demanded stiffly.

"Bumbling Bumbleroot", he said and rolled his eyes.

"That's your password?", Fleur asked with a grin as the portrait swung open. "How very childish."

"Hey don't look at me, only the Head of House can set the password, it's not my fault she's a weird old bat", he defended himself.

She laughed lightly, and he joined her.

"So ladies. Are you ready to see the Lion's Den?", he asked in a theatrical voice complimented with an exaggerated bow.

"As ready as we will ever be", Fleur quipped.

"Follow me then ladies and keep your hands and feet to yourself or these people might just take them", he said as he led them into the common room full of surprised Gryffindors.

Apparently they had not expected him to bring along company. The room was crowded with people, but at least they hadn't decorated the walls with posters denoting how stupid and arrogant he was, as he had half-expected them to. Actually everyone was surprisingly somber, and looked at him with serious eyes. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Lavender wasn't part of this group, and he noted the absence of several others as well.

"This, ladies, is the Gryffindor common room. Notice the abundance of red and gold to assure the general lion that this is indeed their lair," he said, disregarding the crowd. "Otherwise there is nothing remarkable about it except the extreme turnout for this event."

He looked around briefly and then stage-whispered to his companions. "But trust me, living with those colors day out and day in for so many years get rather dull."

"Besides I find that I prefer black nowadays", he said with a meaningful look at Louise accompanied with a smirk, which made her blush prettily but otherwise just return the smirk. "So shall we get going?"

The three girls followed him through the stunned crowd, who moved to let them pass.

"I think you broke them", Daphne commented with humor as they ascended the stairwell towards the boys' dormitories.

"That will only last until we get back down", he replied. "Besides I wouldn't be surprised if some were laying in ambush in my dorm room. I did notice that some rather prominent people were missing downstairs."

True to his words, as soon as he opened the door he was assaulted by the image of at least twenty people sitting on the various beds, all except his own.

"Ahh, a welcoming committee I see, how delightful", he said cheerfully and slumped down on his bed. "You might as well sit down and get comfortable", he said to his companions. "This will probably take some time."

The three girls all took his advice and settled onto the bed, looking for all intents and purposes as if they belonged there.

He sighed once before surveying the crowd. "So who wants to go first?"

"What are _they_ doing here?", Seamus asked acidly, though Harry knew he was only talking about Daphne, and that was only because she was a Slytherin.

"They are here because I invited them. They have all proved to be great friends these last couple of days, and they wanted to see the place", he shrugged. "Next."

"But you can't bring a Slytherin here", Dean said, trying to sound threatening.

Harry rolled his eyes. "And why ever not?"

"Because only Gryffindor's are allowed here", Dean retorted.

Harry laughed at that. "Just because it's not done it doesn't mean it's not allowed, it's simply… just not done."

"But… but… She's a Slytherin!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed", he mocked Dean. "Besides I couldn't care less if she is a Slytherin, a Hufflepuff or even the bloody tooth fairy all wrapped in one."

"I resent that Harry", Daphne quipped. "I would never be a Hufflepuff."

"But there could be worse places a snake than amongst prey", he countered, with a shrug.

"The Headgirl is a badger, having her own my side would be an advantage", he muttered to himself, and made a mental note to get acquainted with Camille Winston.

"So who's next? And please, no more stupid questions or obvious statements", he said with a pointed look at Dean and Seamus.

"Why didn't you just admit that you cheated?", Parvati asked haughtily.

"Ah, my dear Parvati", he said and smiled widely, and focused his allure solely on the girl and put it on a whamming ten, and the girl reacted instantly, as evidenced by the slightly widened eyes. "You don't really think I would do something like that do you?"

"Of course not Harry", she hastened to assure him, much to the surprise of the others, who whispered and hissed things at her, but she ignored them all in favor of focusing on him.

"But you just thought that I had cheated", he said in a sad tone. "Why would you say so if you didn't believe it?"

"Because everyone else said so, and I didn't… I'm so sorry Harry", she was almost hysteric by this point. "Forgive me, please forgive me."

"I don't know. You and the others have been mean", he said uncertainly. "But if you really mean it…"

"I do. Please give me a chance to prove that I'm sorry", she begged.

"Okay", he said and waved her closer, until she was standing right in front of him. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "Go to Lavender. She knows my conditions forgiveness, only in your case it will be Potions." Upon noticing her confused stare he elaborated. "You will understand once you talk to her."

"Thank you, thank you so much", she got out as she scrambled from the room in what he assumed was a search for Lavender. People were staring with mixed shock and annoyance at the sight of the running Indian girl, and he immediately also turned his allure down again.

"What did you tell her?", Louise asked curiously.

"Not much. I just told her that I don't just forgive and forget. She was the one asking for a way to prove that she was sorry. I just gave her a suggestion", he said smiling slightly.

"What was the suggestion?", Fleur enquired.

"That will stay between me and her", he answered with a grin, before turning back to the rest of the group. "So any more questions or things you want to get off your chest?"

"You've become so cold Harry, so… so vicious… What have happened to you?", Hermione asked quietly.

"What happened to _him_? You did that's what", Louise shouted. "You small-minded pests are what happened to him. But because he grew up and left you all behind, you all moan and whine at him, and make him out to be the bad guy. You people despise me", Louise said heatedly, taking all the people by surprise.

"What would you know of that?", Katie Bell retorted. "You haven't seen how he was before, and how he's changed."

Louise was about to respond but Harry held his hand up, preventing her, while keeping his gaze on Katie. "And I suppose you knew me well before, just because we played Quidditch together Katie?"

"I certainly know you better than this… this…", Katie hissed, but never got a chance to finish her sentence before Harry had his wand out pointed at the Gryffindor chaser.

"I would not finish that sentence if I were you Bell", Harry said coldly. "You have neither ground nor reason to badmouth her, and I won't stand for it, you got me?"

Katie didn't nod, but locked her jaw stubbornly and refused to answer him, but kept glaring at Louise, who glared right back.

"I will say this once, and once only. If any of you so much as try to hurt any of these, or I discover that you spread some rumor, I will trace that rumor back to who started and I will make it uncomfortable for that person."

He took a deep breath before fixing Hermione with a stare. "You asked a question, and Louise actually almost nailed it. I know I've changed, but for the better if you ask me. To think I was associated with people such as you before, I almost disgust myself. I realized that my entire life since I had started at Hogwarts, even _before_ I always did what people expected of me, never what I wanted."

"I was expected to be this good little boy who made all the right friends, and otherwise just shut up and follow Dumbledore. I was just supposed to be a drone. But you know what? Not long ago I realized that I have to live my life for myself, not for any of you, so I started living like I _wanted_, instead of how I _should_.", he explained to Hermione, who seemed taken aback.

"You call me a glory hound now, but can you actually mention a time where I've gone looking for this glory, and at what cost it always came?", he sneered at the gathered Gryffindors. "So yea, I've become colder, and yea I've become more vicious, but that's also partially your fault. I won't deny I've changed, and I don't regret it."

He looked at all of them. "Are you happy now? Because I am. This thing you started actually pushed me in the direction of better people than you. Personally I think Fleur here beats all of you hands down. In looks, brains _and_ personality. Too bad there are so many rotten eggs in our school."

"I praise myself lucky to meet people such as Louise, Daphne and Fleur, especially in times such as these where even my own house turns against me", he said with a tender smile directed at the three girls.

"Anyone else have something to say?", he asked as he got off the bed and started gathering his items, sorting them before stuffing them systematically back in his trunk, books went first.

"You actually expect us to believe that you didn't cheat?", Ron asked scathingly. Harry was actually a bit impressed by him; he had not expected him to be able to keep his trap shut for so long.

"I honestly don't care if you believe me or not", he responded as he glossed over the covers of various school books. "But just because I don't care it doesn't mean I won't embarrass you. I mean when I'm the one standing with that trophy you'll wish you'd never thought about throwing me out of the House."

"Yea, we all know how much you dream of winning the Tri-Wizard Cup, but that doesn't mean it'll actually happen", Fleur said in a sing song voice.

He laughed as he threw the last book into his trunk and went on to sort his clothes. "You know those beautiful blue eyes of yours might work on others, but not on me, and I doubt your charm is enough to make me hand victory to you. Besides I don't dream of winning the cup, I know I will win it, so no point spending time fantasizing about it. My dreams however are far more pleasant for me, and in them your beautiful blue eyes _do_ make a difference."

"I resent that", Fleur said in mock-anger.

"No you dont", he countered with a laugh, and then sighed. "At least you don't in my dreams."

"Enough", Dean shouted. He stared heatedly at Harry, and he could feel jealousy warring in many of them. "Why did you have to dishonor us?"

He snorted and looked at him disbelievingly. "Dishonor? You really are dense, you all are. You think I've dishonored your house? If I had stayed here, this house would have gotten a reputation boost it hasn't seen in centuries. But you let your pride get in the way."

He opened a drawer and found the garment he taken from Louise the previous day laying there looking as tempting as ever, and he leered slightly at the girl as he withdrew it from the drawer. Said girl noticed the garment and the look he sent her and blushed heavily, and averted her eyes. He could feel her embarrassment, but it was vastly overshadowed by the overpowering sense of contentment and a strange reverence that was almost arousing in its feeling.

He smiled gently at her, and placed the stringy undergarments into his trunk. She really was a jewel in the rough; the funny thing was that the level of devotion he could feel in her almost matched the one Daphne displayed. Truly it was amazing to find that such devotion existed, and he couldn't help but cherish her.

Lastly he began packing all his assorted items into the trunk, quills, parchment, Quidditch gear. Despite the variety of things he had packed, his trunk was sadly far from filled.

"I got everything I need here", he said as he shrunk the trunk and its contents, and hefted his Firebolt over his shoulder and turned to the three girls. "Are you ready to go?"

All of them nodded and stood up again, and smoothed out whatever wrinkles their clothing had accumulated.

He looked at the rest of the rooms occupants seriously. "Is there anything else? Because unless you give me a damn good reason you will be like air to me from now on? No takers? Great."

"Wait", Alicia Spinnet suddenly. "Your Quidditch badge?"

"It's over there on the bed", he said. "So have you found a new seeker yet?"

"No", she bit out. "We haven't."

"Not surprising. It's hard to live up to my reputation, I'm the best damn seeker in this castle", he said and then waved at them. "Anyways toodles."

Harry and his companions left the room, and with it most of the people that ever meant anything to Harry at one time or another. But fact was that they were in his past, and they had been the one to initiate this breaking of bonds.

As he had expected earlier, the common room was still filled with people, and this time instead of stepping out of the way of his entourage, they stepped in front of him, hindering his departure, which only caused him to quirk his brow at them.

"What?", he asked impatiently. "I've just spent an eternity answering the foolish questions of those hiding in my former dorm room, and I really have no want to also answer yours. So step out of the way, and let me leave this pathetic place behind."

"Just because McGonagall let you off so easily, it doesn't mean we will", a dunderhead of a seventh year said and approached the group.

"What are you going to do?", he said arching a brow. "We're two Tri-Wizards champions, don't you think they will notice if something happens to us?"

Harry was actually already pretty tired, and he was in no mood for dealing with these knuckleheads, so he unleashed his aura, letting it touch everyone in the room except his companions, and instead of the attraction it usually let out, this one was set to induce apprehension, even slight fear, in the people in the common room, and it worked, he could feel it. The increase in his power also meant an increase in the emotional feedback he received, and it played over and over like a big feedback loop. It resulted in a slight headache to simply be around them.

"Would you please step aside, I'd rather not be here any longer than I need to", he said in as friendly tone, but the seventh year scrambled out of his way, and the rest of the students parted before him and let him walk straight to the portrait. He was loath to use his power so freely at such a magnitude, but he really didn't want to deal with this right now, he had after all been pretty accommodating already.

He let out a breath of relief when they finally climbed out through the portrait. "You know, it's actually pretty relieving to be free of all the houses, not having to think about the interhouse rivalry. But it's getting late, and I feel kind of knackered", he said sheepishly.

He adopted a serious stance and turned to the two Beauxbaton students. "Could you two give a moment alone with Daphne? In return I will even escort you back to the Ravenclaw tower."

The two girls looked dubiously at Daphne, but eventually relented, but Harry could feel a spark of jealousy in both of them, though the strange contentment still oozed of Louise and a quiet confidence seemed to have settled on Fleur. Both girls nodded their assent.

He smiled at them before pulling Daphne a little further away, and handed her his shrunken trunk, and his Firebolt. "Please take these back to our quarters, and I'll see you soon enough, I'll just walk these two back to their tower, and I'll be back. Oh, if you have time unpack my stuff in the head bedroom would you?"

"Of course", she replied immediately. "I will go now then. See you later."

"I won't be long", he said with a smile and briefly caressed her hand, which went unseen by the two older girls. As he walked back to the two French girls, Daphne walked in the opposite direction, towards his quarters. She had that unique sway in her hips, an enticing way of walking that simply just aroused his sexuality, causing his blood to sing.

"Shall we get going ladies?", he said charmingly and held a hand out to each of them.

"Of course my fine gentleman", Louise giggled and grabbed his arm, followed moments later by Fleur who grabbed his other arm, and they spent a few silent minutes walking down the hallways, slowly making their way to the Ravenclaw tower.

"Harry, I hope you don't mind me asking. But is there something between you and Daphne?", Fleur asked cautiously.

"It's… complicated and hard to explain", he responded after a having collected his thoughts.

"We have time", Louise said.

"Believe me, you and everyone else will know soon enough", he smiled at both of them. "Besides my head is everywhere right now, and I doubt I would make much sense."

"I will settle with that for now, so long as you promise to tell me the entire story in the very near future", Fleur replied with a smile herself.

"I second that", Louise said and leaned her head on his shoulder, totally ignoring the glare Fleur sent at her.

"I think I can agree to that", he chuckled, as they arrived at the portrait that was the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower. "Ahh, we're here."

"How do you know the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower?", Fleur asked suspiciously.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "That's one of my secrets, one which could prove to be useful."

"I don't doubt that, but it makes me a little nervous as to what you will do with the information", she said, then smiled lecherously and leaned closer to his ear, and whispered so that only he could hear, despite Louise only being a head away. "… is what I should say. But I wouldn't mind you coming to visit me", she purred. "I hope you won't abuse the knowledge that the password is 'Almus Ops'."

He smirked at the insinuation, if it could even be called that.

"And I think you should know", she said in equally low tones, while Louise still contended herself with nuzzling his shoulder. "I don't intend to lose, I will be the one to run away with your heart, and I think I should tell you right now; I always come out on top."

A silly grin worked its way onto his face as he found that he liked this part of Fleur's attitude. He didn't exactly mind beautiful girls fighting over him; on the contrary it only served to further boost his considerable confidence.

He winked. "You should probably be on your way before my mind becomes too filled with bad thoughts to let either of you go."

"Oh, I don't know if it would be that bad", Louise mused.

He shook his head amusedly. "Silence minx, don't tempt the heart of a young man."

Louise pouted but let go of his arm and disappeared through the portrait leaving only him and Fleur out there. However no words were uttered, Fleur just looked at him quietly.

Suddenly she leaned forward and touched her lips to his, in a chaste kiss. Her soft lips tenderly caressing his in a small display of emotion, and his mind went blank as he reciprocated the gesture just as tenderly. It wasn't fierce or passionate, but short and sweet, but still served to convey just as much emotion. Her lips caressing his were like silk, and he gently cupped her cheek in his hand, before pulling back.

She smiled an unearthly soft smile and a second later she was through the portrait as well, leaving Harry standing alone in the hallway, feeling the lingering touch of her kiss on his lips.

His mind was elsewhere as he wandered back towards his new quarters. He met few people on his way to the third floor, and those he did carefully avoided him like he had some contagious disease.

When he entered his new quarters he immediately noticed that a fire was crackling in the hearth, and cozy warmth permeated the room. The only source of illumination in the room was the hearth, it the otherwise dark room was scarcely lighted, casting long shadows.

He took a small moment to take in the sight of his new home, the place where he would live in the remainder of his time at Hogwarts. He would spend evenings, afternoons and mornings here, in a relatively quiet place.

He heard footfalls and looked over to see Daphne standing in the doorway leading to the smaller hallway. Her eyes looked at him with intensity and devotion was shining brightly in her. He briefly wondered if the pledging ritual they had performed had somehow changed her, more than he had initially thought. But be it true or not, it hadn't changed her into something unrecognizable, she was very much still Daphne.

Her posture was submissive, but by no means was it weak. She radiated a strength that was both flexible and iron-hard.

"Welcome back Master", she greeted him quietly, a smile playing on her lips. He could also feel a silent joy permeating her very being. "I have done as you asked and the master bedroom is now ready for you."

"Good", he replied with a smile as well and settled down in the couch. Truly relaxing for the first time that day, staring into the flickering flames. "This day has been more taxing than I had thought it would be."

He stretched and laid down belly first on the couch, and let out a breath, while still staring into the hearth.

He sensed Daphne approach. "You seem very tense, allow me to help you", she said softly and sat astride his upper thighs and ran her hands along his spine. "May I?", she asked, pulling lightly on his shirt to indicate what she meant.

He grunted his assent, and lifted to allow her nimble fingers to peal his shirt off, and he slumped down into the couch again immediately after. Soon after he felt her hands gently run down his back, soothing his muscles, causing him to relax even more. He felt her hands settle at the bottom of his neck, and begin working on the tense muscles that were there. Though it hurt slightly in the beginning it soon became soothing as his muscles gradually relaxed.

"Could I ask a question?", Daphne enquired softly.

"I will hide nothing from you Daphne", he replied, and he wasn't lying. She would never betray his trust, and likewise he would never betray hers, that was their arrangement, what he had agreed to when accepting her proposal.

"That's good", she said with a laugh. "Because I have several questions."

He chuckled. "Then fire away."

She gently applied pressure on a small cluster of muscles under his left shoulder blade, and he groaned slightly. "Where were you last night?"

"Ahh, so the rumor mill doesn't work as quickly as I had thought. But to answer your question I was with Louise yesterday. I spent some time coming to grips with something important."

"I thought so", she mused. "What about this new power of yours? You are charming Master, but not charming enough to send Patil into the condition that she was today. It felt like she had a primal need to satisfy you, to be acknowledged by you."

"That's where you're wrong. At least at one count", he replied. "A little more to the left. Ahh, right there."

"Whoever says charm is just a physical manifestation, what happened to Parvati today was only my charm or allure I should probably say", he continued, and felt Daphne momentarily falter in her ministrations. "I can see you are starting you catch on. Tell me, what do you think I did?"

She was silent for a little while. "If I were to guess, I would say that you somehow affected her emotion, pity and remorse, so strongly that she felt the need to beg for your forgiveness, am I right?"

"Yes, but I sense you want to say something more."

"Master, if I didn't know any better I would say that you were some sort of mutant Veela, one that could affect each and every emotion, like how the entire Gryffindor common room was afraid of you. But that's impossible for two reasons, Veela can only affect attraction as far as I know, and there are only female Veela", she reasoned. "I don't know what to think."

"Well you were not far off the mark. But keep an open mind for what I'm about to tell you, and bear in mind that I don't know everything", he said.

"I will", she responded immediately and moved her ministrations to his lower back.

"Veela blood and their ancestry and heritage are funny things, you see you it takes almost a millennia to breed out the Veela gene if it has somehow been bred into the family. For females the gene is active, as evidenced by improved natural looks and an aura of attraction. But everyone already knows that", he explained quietly, enjoying her massage. "Most witches and wizards just believe that any male offspring of the Veela will just be a completely normal boy, without any hint of Veela ancestry. But those that actually took the time to study this would discover that the Veela gene was just dormant in the male genes, it was so far buried that nothing would be able to awaken it."

"But it did with you I assume", she said thoughtfully. "But why did it? What caused it to awaken?"

"Honestly I have no idea, though I reckon it has something to do with Fleur", he pondered. "She has recently had some weird happenings with her own Veela heritage, though I am not completely sure what. But regardless of what caused it I am still and probably will forever be the only male Veela."

"It makes sense, and then again it doesn't", she said and he could almost hear the cogs turning inside her head. "If the gene was irrevocably dormant it shouldn't have been possible… but then again this is magic we're talking about."

"Don't fret too much Daphne, it'll give you a headache, and wrinkles", he chuckled. "The only thing we can do about is to keep a journal of sorts. You know write down whatever changes that happens along the way, and I also have to test the scope of my powers, what I can and can't do."

"It sounds like we have our work cut out for us", she responded and pushed down rather heavily on a very tense muscle on his lower back.

"Indeed we do", he replied after a bit. "But I think testing these skills will prove to be rather fun."

DB -

She sighed.

She was sitting in her own little corner in the office while people all around her was bustling by absorbed in their work or conversations.

Her desk was small and cramped, and piles of paper and reports were stacked on table, though it was far from a prestigious job, it was what she wanted. Starting out as a journalist was by no means instant success. No, you had to work your way up from the ground, if you were lucky you would be able to write articles instantly, but never anything substantial. She had been lucky that she had applied for a job at The Prophet at a time when they were low on employees and had made a good first impression with the editor.

But lucky or not, working her way up from writing about the market for new inks to actually writing about the increase in the amount of garden gnomes in the British suburban areas. To an outsider there might not be that much a difference, but at the Prophet it was the reason she was bumped up from page forty-three to page thirty-nine, but that was a year ago and she had really still not gotten anywhere since then. For example today she had handed in her newest article which was about a new use for the Mimbletonia plant to help prevent restless sleep.

However she had during all these meaningless articles excelled in every single one of them, and done her very best as a reporter and she hoped it would soon pay off.

But still that didn't change that she was now looking over folders full of possible new articles she could write next, and none of them looked very appealing. But like it or not, it was still her job.

"Geez, couldn't Celia have given me something more fun to work with", she muttered, laying her head on her arms and let out a tired breath.

"I'm pretty sure you shouldn't let the editor hear that", a voice snickered.

She jumped up and spun around to come to face with the editors assistant, and sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that Elle."

Elle laughed. "Or what is little Penelope going to do? Write up a little article about how naughty I am?"

"Don't make me do it", Penelope grumbled. "So what do I owe the honor of the esteemed Elle, the editor's right hand woman coming by?"

Elle adopted a hurt expression. "I can't even visit my little old friend?"

Penelope scoffed. "If you say so. So are you we still on for tomorrow? It's been weeks since I've been out."

"I should hope so, I just bought this new top yesterday and it looks gorgeous. Michael and I are so going to show everyone up", she said with a smirk that turned into a frown. "So is Percy up for it tonight or is he still as tied up in his work."

Penelope groaned. "Don't even mention it", she mumbled. "Sometimes I think he loves his job more than he loves me."

"Don't be so down, he will come around eventually when he stands to see what he is losing", she then shrugged. "And if not… well then you're better off without him."

Elle then smiled wickedly at her, and she felt a strange chill run down her back. "But that's not why I'm here."

Penelope pointed accusingly at her and accused her in an indignant tone. "I knew it. You never just come by, so what is it?"

Elle laughed. "The editor wanted to talk to you, and I don't think being late is a very good impression to make."

She stood up with wide eyes. "You… You… Bitch!"

"Guilty", Elle replied cheerily.

She cursed Elle as she hurried about tidying up her appearance, before storming away from her desk towards the editor's office.

"I swear you will pay for this Elle", she shouted back.

"Dream on dear sweet little Penny", she retorted.

She just ignored her and hurried, weaving through the staff until she arrived at the door of the editor. She took a moment to get a hold of herself, and reached out to grab the handle, but then froze.

Why would the editor want to talk to her now? Her articles had been as good as they could be when one took into consideration what she had to work with. Maybe…

"You can come in now Miss Clearwater."

Penelope jumped slightly, but took a deep breath and turned then handle to the editor's office. The room wasn't that luxurious, when it came down to it was actually were spartan. But the many newspaper clippings and diplomas, as well as the piles of paper on the desk spoke of authority. It had the air of command, and when you were in here, you stood at attention. She unconsciously straightened her back and took calm confident steps toward the desk.

Behind the desk, an elderly woman sat looking over several pieces of parchment. A quick look at Penelope revealed steely brown eyes, but those quickly turned back to the writing in front of her.

"You called for me ma'am", Penelope stated nervously.

"Sit down", the editor command, and she almost dropped down into the chair in front of the desk.

"You've been with us for how long Miss Clearwater?", she asked still looking at the parchment and making small notes on another.

Penelope fidgeted nervously but answered in a steady voice. "Close to two years."

"You write mostly about domestic affairs", she stated, it wasn't a question. But she still cringed a little.

"Yes ma'am", she responded. "That is correct."

"Don't be ashamed. I've read your articles; they're good for one so new to the job. But you are of course aware that you cannot jump to the sensation head titles, but I have faith you will get there eventually", she said, with her eyes still glued to her desk.

Penelope nearly glowed with pride. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"You have a pretty impressive record. Never missed a deadline and I never had to correct anything or send it back to you for rephrasing. It's very impressive for a rookie journalist. The last one I remember having such a track record was me."

"What about Bickerson? He's like the best we have on staff", she blurted out.

The editor laughed gruffly. "Who, John? That kid brings me no end of trouble. He might have a talent, but he lets it go to his head. But he is still a valuable member of this staff and yes, he is a very good journalist."

Penelope sat still in shock. She had always sort of looked up to John Bickerson, he was the star journalist, the one who did nothing wrong. It was sort of depressing to discover this about one of your role models.

"You're aware that Hogwarts is hosting the Tri-Wizard tournament right?", the editor asked suddenly, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yes ma'am", she responded.

"Don't call me ma'am, makes me feel old, and I get enough of that at home. My name is Cecilia, or as I believe I've told you before, you can call me Celia. I prefer to be on first name basis with my journalists", she admonished. "That being said I need someone to go to Hogwarts to cover the tournament, would you be interested?"

Penelope was baffled. Of all things, this wasn't what she had thought would happen in here. Though honestly she'd had no idea of what actually would happen. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but no sound came out.

"Merlin child, I would think you would be more enthusiastic about this", the elderly woman said, looking sternly at her.

She shook her head. "But wouldn't Bickerson be a better choice? He is clearly experienced enough to handle this."

"John has unfortunately had a little accident, and will be first be back to work in a couple of weeks."

"How about Skeeter?", she asked puzzled. This was simply too big a chance, odds were greater that someone was pulling her leg.

The elder woman huffed. "Skeeter may be good, but she has a tendency to embellish the stories, so in the light that I'm missing my head journalist, and you show extraordinary talent I would say you are a fine choice. Besides I'm not picking you just because you show talent. That would be a stupid move of me. I suspect since it hasn't been that long since you've graduated from Hogwarts the students will have an easier time dealing with you, and it will in turn also make the job easier for you."

"I don't know what to say", Penelope responded, completely dumbstruck.

"If I were you I would say yes", the editor replied with a small smile. "Consider this your breakthrough chance. If you do well enough, the logical course would be to let you handle the remaining tasks and anything regarding it as well. Normally you wouldn't be giving this chance before at least a couple of more years had gone by, but the situation works in your favor. So what do you say?"

"Yes, I would be honored to", she said formally, though she was beaming.

"Good, now get going", Cecilia said and waved her out. "And don't make me regret this."

"You won't I promise, thank you for this chance", she said as she swiftly exited the office.

As soon as she had closed the door she was jumped by an excited Elle. "So what did she want?"

Penelope responded in a sing-song voice. "I'm not telling."

Elle pouted. "Aww, come on. Please?"

"Nope", she said cheerily. "Payback's a bitch, huh?"

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed it


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Harry Potter or any of the characters, except for the Original Characters that I have created, and I also think I'll lay claim to the plot in this story as well

AN: I have actually received quite a few interesting comments after posting Chapter 3 of this story, and I do believe it's necessary for everyone to hear my answers on some of the more important ones. Many seem to confused about the pairing of the story, and the only thing I can say is that I would rather not disclose that particular piece of information as I believe it would detract from the story. I am of the opinion that the best stories (revolving at least partially about pairings) out there are that good because it seems like the main character seems to be dangling between two, perhaps even three possibilities, so the reason why there hasn't been any real confirmation about the pairing is because I would rather keep you caught in suspense. Likewise there are also concerns about the possibility of a harem (etc. and so on), and I will also not deny nor affirm anything as of yet, though I will mention that even though the possibility of a harem might be dangled in front of you it's definitely not a confirmation at all as to whether there will be one at all, and I also understand the troubles inherent in writing harems, as they can really destroy a story.

Likewise I would also like to point out that this will not be a bash-story. Anything revolving around bashing in this story will only be from one persons point of view. In this case Harry was angry with the school for basically turning it's back on him, and combined with his new outlook on life and you get one person that easily lashes out instead of bottling it in and if you add the newly awakened Veela core in Harry, and how it forces him to react much more to his more primal instincts and you get a little human ball of anger. This would conveniently channeled towards the people he is most disappointed in, which in this case are would be the Golden Trio, and other people who are closer to Harry, such as Ginny, and Neville etc. Harry's behavior have of course also effected Hermione and Ron, which also explain their attitudes as they are not used to the 'new' Harry. This ultimately means that I will attempt to keep all characters as much in-character as possible and have explanations for any irregular behavior.

The main point many people have brought up is the matter of sexual content in the story, or rather the lack of. I understand that Veela are very sexual creatures and odds are that a hormonal Harry with a surefire way of getting in someone's pants would grab the chance, especially the reformed Harry, however as much as you want 'obscenely graphic and sexual scenes' in the story I am unsure as to whether or not I should actually add any, and there are several reason for this. Firstly, I am afraid that introducing lemons into this story would start a downward spiral into depravity, because introducing the concept into the story would instill expectations for more and more gratuitous debauchery as the plot advances and he meets new women. Basically I'm afraid that the lemon aspect would end up taking up too much space in the story, and I think it would eventually derail it from it's original route. Secondly, after people began inquiring about lemons I did a little research about what is allowed and what isn't allowed on this site. Though I haven't been able to find anything concrete I do not that there is a very explicit reason why there is no MA rating, which allows the posting of adult content and I am aware of the fact that many authors do indeed post lemons in their stories already, but I'd rather not do anything which could get the story removed from the story. This means that I could, assuming I feel a need to, could eventually post another story on FicWad or AdultFanfiction with another version of the story, however I must warn you that it would go in a complete different direction, though the basic premise would remain the same. As of yet I am still undecided and if any of you know anything specific about the rules regarding lemon content for this site you are more than welcome to forward that information, and furthermore I would like your opinion on the matter.

That is all I have to say right now. Hopefully you will enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

"Where is he?"

She was aware she had been asking the same question many times, and the answer hadn't changed at all. She had been extremely anxious since she hadn't been able to spot Harry at all since they had parted three days ago, Friday evening. It was now noon on the Monday after and still she had been unable to find any signs of him, she had even gone as far as to try and find him at the guest rooms, but there had been so many that it had proven to be a futile task.

"I have no idea", a petite red head answered her, and rolled her eyes at her pacing. "Sit down and relax Louise, he's going to be here."

"Of course he is", she replied sourly and ignored the brief look of annoyance rolling over the face of her companion. "But I'm still worried about not seeing him the entire weekend Michelle."

She snorted. "You just want to put your claws in him and do things so indecent that you'd die just thinking about them."

Louise turned an interesting shade of red, but otherwise didn't refute the claim. There was no point denying the truth, and she had said as much to the other French students, though having it thrown back at her like that, made her sound so much like a… tart. But the truth was that she would probably do anything he wanted her to. It was Merlin's honest truth; she simply couldn't stop thinking about him.

She sniffed at Michelle but otherwise said nothing.

"Oh, are we indignant now Louise?", she laughed. "Besides it's not as if I fault you, many girls want to bed Harry Potter, us as well as the native female population. You are just a bit closer to achieving that dream than most others."

"He will do fine, he just needs to get here", Louise said firmly, though mostly to herself.

"I'm sure he will", Michelle agreed. "But I can understand if he doesn't want to spend his time waiting here, with this crowd."

Louise took a look around and she couldn't keep an annoyed look out of her eyes. The sheer amount of people present here today was enormous, or that was the impression she got. Three schools gathered to watch the final contestant finish or fail the First Task. She was well aware that many of them weren't all that interested in the job as such, and many of them came just to boo at Harry. Loud laughter and gossiping were happening all around the stadium, and the students were a loud bunch, however the stadium was, unofficially, split up in three sections, one for the Hogwarts students, one for the Durmstrang students and one for the Beauxbaton students. Though the Hogwarts students outmanned the combined numbers of both of the visiting schools, there were still enough French and Bulgarian students to create an area where noise wasn't as permeating as with the locals.

She fell uneasily down into the chair and surveyed the crowds. "You're right. I am actually ashamed on Harry's behalf. Half his school hates him, or at least most pretend because they don't want to stand against a majority, but still, how can he live with these… these fools?"

"I don't really think he enjoys it that much Louise", Michelle replied, but then shrugged. "But who am I to guess? He must have some reason for being here, I am mean he could have been accepted into any magic school in the world. No one would have been stupid enough to turn him down. But I think it quite possible that he was at least muggle raised, which would also explain why he chose Hogwarts, seeing as he only got a letter from them."

"I don't care about that, actually its good he's here, else I would probably have never met him", she shot back. "Beauxbaton is an all-girls academy and Durmstrang has a bad name, and he would never go for one of the lesser schools. Odds are that he would have ended up in that Italian magic school or something if he'd chosen not to come. What it's called? What's it called? Oh never mind, it's not important anyways."

"Would you stop worrying so much you're giving me a headache", a rather plain girl from Beauxbaton responded from a few seats away. "No use wondering about what if's and why not's. He'll be here, and you can _thank_ your knight in flowing robes afterwards. What I'm interested in is how he's going to beat his dragon."

She frowned for a bit considering the girls words, and she had to grudgingly agree with her that there was no use dwelling on the subject, but it wasn't as if she'd let the girl know. "I'm sure he will surprise us all, he is very ingenious when it comes to on-the-spot plans I'm told."

"Yes it should prove to be interesting", she conceded. "But unfortunately the fact remains that all the other champions have three years of education on him. It will not be easy for him, but somehow I think he'll pull through."

Michelle snorted. "Ha, you're just like any other of the girls here right now. You just want him to fuck you senseless, hell if he asked _me_ to strip down and blow him right here I'd do it."

Louise blushed at the statement, but the plain one seemed to be the one worst hit. She'd gone completely crimson and was sputtering denials, although they were very weak. Louise had always known that Michelle was far from the shy maiden, she was one of the most straightforward persons she had ever met, which was why Louise appreciated her company. She liked that attitude, it was hard to find nowadays. Though much of it was bluster, even she was still occasionally taken aback by the lewd and totally unveiled comments from her friend.

"_Michelle_", she hissed, though she could not deny the flush in her cheeks. She was by no means a prude, but still to make it sound so… crude. "We both know that you're a slut, but that doesn't mean we want the same template on us."

Michelle quirked a brow. "Like you're any better", she countered. "You're acting like you're his pet, defending his every little action. You've been ready to claw out the throat of anyone who even spoke badly about him."

"He's done nothing wrong", she hissed at her friend. "These imbeciles should just keep their mouth shut, or else I will do it for them."

"See there you go again", Michelle replied with a smile. "Jumping to his defense."

Louise huffed.

She wasn't really angry at the girl. How could she be when everything she said so far was true, and besides, their relationship had always been like this, them poking fun at each other, actually it was mostly Michelle poking fun at her, but she had a soft spot for the girl. But, friend or no friend, she would not stand for anyone badmouthing Harry, not even Michelle.

She settled for watching the crowds and allowed herself to remember the astonished and unbelieving look on Fleur's face when news had finally reached her about Louise and Harry's little rendezvous, as innocent as it had been. Louise still grinned at the image of the angry half-veela being so stumped that she had no idea how to react to the situation. Louise knew that Fleur almost always had things her way, and losing a competition such as this was a blow to her pride, both as a woman, a rival and especially as a veela. But that only made the entire deal that much sweeter.

To have finally beaten Fleur at something, it left a sweet taste in her mouth, much more so since this was her turf, she had had home field advantage. Though admittedly the only reason that she won over Fleur was because she had moved fast and struck hard, not that she had ever imagined Harry being anything like he actually was, her dreams of him had always been different. But despite his flirtatious attitude she had easily picked up on all the little tells that shouted that he was as pure as the day he had been born.

She had been with other before, she was far from inexperienced, but she wasn't a whore. But most of it had mainly been a rebellious phase. It wasn't that she was so conceited as to have believed that she would capture Harry's heart, far from it, though she held out hope. But the reason she had even been so aggressive was that she had sought her destiny, a destiny which she had embraced years earlier. The women in her family had always inherited a strange skill; they were riddled with the most peculiars Seers, if they could even be counted as that. It allowed the women to see who they would spend the rest of their life with, at an early age.

She had known since she was fourteen that she was destined to be with Harry. It wasn't that she had just blindly accepted it, she had questioned her mother and her aunt about it, and they both confirmed it, even her grandmother could confirm it. So when the chance presented itself she had just grabbed it with both hands, to at least initiate this on her own terms. Unfortunately, or fortunately some would say, the plan had partially backfired. Sure she was the one to start it all, but it has quickly gotten out of hand. The vision in itself was never anything that the women would really remember, it was just little features like the color and styles of hair, or the nose, or in her case the eyes. Also each woman also instinctively knew who it was; the name was just imprinted in their memory.

Both her mom and aunt had been very inquisitive as to who she had Seen. But she had been tightlipped, and never told a single soul. To this very day she was the only one who knew about this particular and the only one she would possibly reveal it to in the near future would be Harry.

She was startled out of her train of thought by a voice right next to her. She turned her head slightly to see a vaguely familiar boy staring at her, though she could not exactly pinpoint who he was.

"Excuse me Miss Auclair", he said and smiled charmingly at her. "Could I steal a moment of your time?"

She nodded after moment, but otherwise just studied him, and he turned to study the pit.

"Perfect weather for today don't you agree?", he said in a cheery tone.

"Yes, it's wonderful. Though it is not really the weather that makes this day exciting", she responded evenly.

He laughed lightly, ignoring her forced tone. "No I suppose it isn't. Though I am rather curious as to how Harry will handle this task."

"I am sure he will do an outstanding job", she replied.

"Only time will tell", he responded. "But still witnessing something like this makes ones blood run faster. I feel refreshed just being here."

"I wonder if you would feel refreshed if you were the one down there about to face a dragon", she responded curtly.

He smile faltered slightly, but it was soon back in place. "No I don't think I would. But I won't ever know now will I?"

He turned to regard her fully, still smiling that same smile. "My name is Peter Zerbst. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She regarded him for a moment; the name struck something, then it hit like a ton of bricks. This was the same guy who had asked Fleur to the Yuletide Ball, and had been utterly rejected. She only just held a sneer back from her face. She knew what he was after now.

"Louise Auclair", she responded coolly.

"A beautiful name", he said, trying to flatter her. "Now as to the reason I have been bothering you. I was wondering if you would like to go with me to the Yuletide Ball."

"We've never met before. I don't really think I can just accept an invitation from someone I know nothing about", she said in a forced polite tone. At least this way she gave him a chance to get out of this with some semblance of confidence.

"That could easily be remedied", he said with another teeth-sparkling smile, thinking it an inviting gesture. "There is a Hogsmeade trip coming up in a few weeks, still plenty of time to decide, and if you want to go with me after the trip, then lucky me."

"I'm sorry, but I have someone else in mind", she said, trying to get it through that thick skull of his.

"Ohh", he said, momentarily dejected. "May I ask who it is?"

"I am sure you know of him", she said, with the first real smile since the conversation started. "After all, he's about to overcome a dragon."

Peter seemed momentarily stumped, and then his eyes narrowed briefly. "Why would you be interested in him? Everyone knows that he cheated his way into this tournament. He will be lucky if he even makes it through it alive."

Her rage flared brightly, but she kept her voice low, dangerously so. "How would you know that? And the last time I checked it hadn't been proven that he cheated. But even if he had, he would still be a much better than you will ever be."

He looked as if he had been struck, but he seemed to have gotten the message and made to leave, but left with one last parting remark. "Everyone knows that Potter is a liar and a cheat, but it seems you haven't realized yet."

Her wand was in her hand instantly, but a firm grip on her wrist stopped her from cursing the arrogant, stupid, rotten arse. She turned and looked at Michelle, who kept a firm grip on her wrist, with narrowed eyes.

"Let go of me", she hissed.

"I don't think so, it would be unadvisable right now", she said evenly.

"You heard what he said about him", she responded heatedly. "You think I will just let that go?"

"I don't think Harry would want you to do this."

"You know nothing of Harry", she said in an ice cold voice. "So don't pretend you do."

"If he is the kind of guy that will let a girl get in trouble to defend his own name then I don't want to get to know him", she countered forcefully. "Because that would make him a right bastard."

Louise stiffened, and said in a calm, arctic voice. "Let go."

Michelle did so, but warily moved a step backwards.

Louise was furious. More than furious, as if it wasn't enough that this Hogwarts student went and insulted Harry, one of her own friends did exactly the same right after. But she still pocketed her wand. It would do no one any good if she got caught up in a trouble now.

"Don't let me hear you say that again, because friend or not, Harry means everything to me", she said in a low tone and turned away from Michelle, who seemed subdued by that comment, a sight she had never seen before.

Before her the crowd of Beauxbaton student hadn't noticed a thing, but was actually more focused on the ring where the Hungarian Horntail was tied up. The dragon was by far the biggest and meanest looking of the bunch so far, and was looking around the pit with fearsome eyes. It was only slightly comforting to know that there were dragon handlers nearby to step in if any situation got out of control, though last time they had taken their sweet time.

However her mind was taken off the matter by a voice booming over the gathered students.

"_Welcome back. I know you have been waiting for some time for the final contestant in the first task, and we're happy to tell you that he is up and about again, and we will soon be ready to begin."_

In the wake of the magically amplified voice the entire stadium exploded in noise. Some of it loud cheers, some it loud boos. But everyone was excited to see this event that had been so long in coming. The suspense was heavy in the air, and everyone sat up straighter and immediately fixed their attention on the pit below them, and the loud noise was soon replaced by a silence that was equally loud.

Everyone waited with bated breath for Harry to walk out of the tent flap. The dragon handlers in the pit departed as soon as the amplified voice of Bagman echoed over the crowds, leaving behind only an agitated Horntail. The Horntail was stalking, almost prowling around its nest, and it gave of the air of a superior predator as its eyes searched the pit with intensity.

Louise couldn't help but be glad that this stadium was enchanted for the dragon to not be able see any of the spectators in the stands, as a security precaution. Though the pit itself was set low enough that the crowd would be able to simply duck behind safe, fireproof walls should a stray flame go in their direction.

All around the stadium, students were shushing each other, but still whispered excitedly with their companions. All talk stalled when the amplified voice started again.

"_It is with excitement that each and every one of us today gather here today to witness the final contestant and how he will handle himself against the dragon you all see before you today",_ the cheerful voice of Bagman boomed over the crowds. _"The rules and objective is the same as before. Young Harry will only be allowed to bring his wand and ingenuity and he will have to extract a golden egg from the nest of Horntail. But he must be careful, for Horntails are said to have a nasty temper, especially nesting mothers."_

Louise snorted at the theatrical nature of the man. "They are enjoying this way too much", she said and glared at some nearby people, who were whispering amongst themselves and snickering.

All talking suddenly ceased and Louise had trouble locating the reason for this until one of nearby students poked her and pointed down into the pit, and immediately a radiant smile lit up her face as she saw Harry walk into the pit with his unruly black hair getting caught in the wind. She could see the small smirk on his face as he walked; a calm confidence was evident in his every step.

She sighed dreamily and momentarily disregarded the many similar sighs that erupted around her.

DB -

Harry smiled as he with confident steps, walked through the tent flap and entered the pit he had only seen briefly before. Of course, being chased by a dragon tends to draw one's attention away from noticing small things like the layout of the pit.

He looked around and assessed the terrain in an attempt to figure out what he had to work with.

The terrain itself was rocky, and faintly resembled a mountainous region, and the good thing was that it provided excellent shelter. The downside was that it also made it that much more difficult to get to the great hulking piece of reptilian meat, which was coincidentally staring unblinkingly at him.

The Horntail really did catch his eye.

It was easily bigger than the Chinese dragon that had been on Fleur's tail, though by the way it was flexing its claws, casually ripping the rock beneath it apart as if it was but dirt really should have discouraged him. Just like the occasional huff of smoke escaping its flaring nostrils, seemed equally threatening. The dragon was crouched, if you could call it crouching when it was a dragon doing it. It looked ready to leap at him, the chain around its leg be damned, and personal experience really did force him to reevaluate his thoughts on the usefulness of those.

A normal student might have panicked at this point, and done something reckless. But Harry was no normal student, and besides he also had two contingency plans where as a rookie student might only have one plan in all.

But of course only time would tell if his first plan would pay off or not. Regardless of how much research he had done into the subject he just hadn't been able to find anything concrete. So doing this would be 'trial and error' in the simplest sense.

But besides the rocky stadium, and the many outcroppings there wasn't really all that much he could use to his advantage in here.

But that was where it paid off to be a wizard. The arena might not suit him right now, but he could make it suit him, and all the rocks strewn about the place provided excellent material for one of his contingency plans.

He noticed movement at the corner of his eye and immediately turned his head back to the dragon. It had taken a slightly more aggressive stance, and he could see it open its maw, black smoke billowing out.

Suddenly he saw a spark ignite in the back of its throat and in the split-second it took for him to register what was happening he had managed to dive behind an outcropping to shield himself from the flames. He could however not escaped the heat that washed over him as the boulder he was hiding behind was punished by torrents of flame.

Sweat began to run down his face, and he quickly wiped it on his sleeve. He pointed his wand at a nearby rock and transfigured it onto a bird of some sort. It looked strangely deform, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that it could fly, so he sent it flying out from behind the outcropping to get the attention of the beast, and he was pleased to find that the heat was reduced slightly as the Horntail roared. He took the chance and ran behind another outcropping, disregarding the most possible and cruel fate of the transfigured bird.

He dove behind the outcropping and let out a breath when he saw the dragon its assault on the rock he'd hidden behind before.

"That was bloody hot", he said, short of breath. "Literally."

He allowed himself a small break to get his thoughts organized again, and frowned.

To put his main plan into action he needed to get closer to the dragon. But as it was now, he wouldn't have the chance if he couldn't distract the dragon.

Well, that was why he had contingency plans after all, he'd just need to put one into affect to set the stage for his main plan.

He raised his wand again and this time focused on a few rocks before him. He muttered several quiet 'Verto Pennipotenti', and the result was a small flock of birds gathered in front of him. He immediately sent them out, to distract the dragon.

He glanced out behind his cover to see the dragon whirling around with a bellow, spewing flames after the small agile birds. The plan seemed to be working perfectly and he grinned as he quickly, and silently ran from his shelter, closer to the middle of the arena, while still staying hidden as much as possible.

Each step brought him a step closer to his goal, but each step also came with increasingly longer intervals. The smell of burnt feathers and meat permeated the air, and he had to fight to hold back the cough that threatened to escape his mouth, and therefore possibly reveal his location. He'd been forced to cast the spell again due to the eerie aim of the Horntail, which also explained why the stadium was littered with smoking bird corpses. Though they were already slowly turning back to the rocks they had all be transformed from.

A delightful shiver of anticipation ran down his spine as he dove behind the final boulder. He was now within hearing of the dragon, and the agonized twitter of the final bird signaled the end of his spells.

But that mattered little now, for the stage was set. Now it was just time to test Daphne's theory.

He drew a couple of deep breaths to make sure his voice was steady, and focused again.

This skill didn't come easy for him, but odds were that it was because he hadn't practiced it. But that had changed this weekend. Most of his free time, and some of his practical practice, had been spent trying to hone this skill.

~_Stop_~, he shouted in parseltongue. Though it could hardly be called it a shout, it still managed to carry, and the previous restless wandering of the dragon suddenly halted, and the silence that descended was almost tangible.

He received no answer in return, but decided to press the matter. That simple statement did seem to have halted the dragon.

~_Can you understand me?_~, he shouted again. That in and of itself would be a smart thing to establish.

A loud grumble was his answer, though it much different from the previous roaring. ~_Yes, soft-hide, I can understand you._~

He could hear the same underlying hissing that he used to hear when he heard snakes talking. He beamed widely, proud at his own success. He'd have to thank Daphne later for suggesting this to him.

~_I am not here to harm you or your eggs_~, he responded, the same hissing tones leaving his mouth. That might be a good thing to start this conversation with, just to set the facts straight. ~_I simply wish to talk to you_~

~_You soft-hides never want to just talk. You always try to either kill us or steal our young_~, the dragon hissed fiercely.

~_I swear to you that I have no such intentions_~, he said honestly. ~_I actually wish to discuss with you about a deceit played on the both of us._~

~_You can come forth_~, the dragon hissed. ~_I have no intentions of hurting a Speaker, unless you attempt to trick me, then I shall tear you limb from limb._~

Harry mulled it over for naught but a few second, and decided that this conversation was definitely going better than he'd expected.

~_If you assure me that no harm will come to me during our talk, then I shall be more than happy to_~, he responded.

~_It has been countless winters since I last spoke with a Speaker, and I will not hurt one without due reason, this I swear to by the magic in my blood._~, the dragon hissed.

Well that certainly did sound good, so he decided to stall no more, and simply got up and moved out from behind the rock he'd hidden behind and immediately his eyes caught that of the dragon. Those deep black orbs, the glint of intelligence was much more noticeable now that he didn't have to focus on avoiding flames or finding new hiding places.

He took a few steps forth, the confidence in his steps increased by his success. Also to show that he had no ill-intentions he allowed his wand to fall to his side.

~_So you are a Speaker_

~, the dragon stated, though he thought it was mostly to itself. The eyes briefly roamed over him before settling on his eyes again immediately. ~_You spoke of a deception played on both of us soft-skin. Tell me, what do you speak of?_~

He decided that beating around the bush would serve no real purpose here so he laid the cards out on the table. ~_Do you know why you were brought here? Why you have been chained in this pit with me?_~

~_No I do not small one_~

~_The reason why you're here is because the magic school Hogwarts is hosting an event called the Tri-Wizard Tournaments_~, he explained and then shrugged. ~_And I'm one of the contestants in this tournament_~

The loud growl rose from the dragon throat. ~_Are you saying that I'm here is because I'm being used as some sort of entertainment in a contest?_~

Harry eased his stance slightly, in preparation if the dragon decided that being hostile was the way to go.

~_Be at ease Speaker, my anger is not directed at you_~, the dragon said as its eyes again focused on Harry. ~_But tell me, what is it that you have to accomplish?_~

~_Well, they have placed a fake egg amongst your own, that they want us to retrieve_~, he said cautiously.

The dragon immediately turned about and looked at its nest, scrutinizing, and smelling every egg.

_~I see, I can smell it_~, the dragon said after a while. ~_I will allow you retrieve your fake egg~_

Harry laughed openly then, apparently startling the dragon, and most certainly also the few thousand spectators up there. Odds were that they were beginning to think him crazy.

~_It matters not to me whether or not you give your permission or not, I only did it this way to test out a theory of mine and because it seemed like the simplest way. Besides I'd rather not have to fight you, when there is a peaceful way through this annoying task_

A deep growl, deeper than the one from before issued from the dragon's throat and it took a slightly aggressive stance.

Now he wanted to try his own theory. According to rumors, Fleur had been able to somehow affect the dragon, and from what he'd heard from her it had something to do with her Veela powers, and since his Veela powers were more powerful he wanted to put the possibility to a test.

So he did as he'd gotten used to and focused on the feelings emanating off the dragon, and at first he was slightly confused at how foreign they felt when compared to that of humans, but he was soon able to find similarities, and discovered that the feelings of dragons was just more intensified and primal than that of humans.

He unleashed almost half of his Veela power and slammed it into the bundle of feelings, undermining some, building new, reinforcing others, all meant to make the dragon as harmless to him as possible. He did however meet resistance, though he attributed that to a century old, possibly older dragon, fighting against him. He pushed harder and felt the resistance crumble, and with a swift strike of intent he had achieved what he'd hoped to.

During the entire process the dragon had been looking into his eyes, with first incredulity, then shock, followed by fear. Though the feelings in themselves were hard to pick up from just looking into the eyes of the dragon, he had the advantage of being able to feel its feelings firsthand.

All those feelings however soon gave way to the feelings he'd induced.

He breathed heavily and wiped some sweat off his brow. He still wasn't used to using that much of his power so freely, but at least he didn't succumb to exhaustion this time.

He righted himself and walked towards the dragon now sure that it was harmless to him, and stopped right in front of it.

~_Get out of my way_~, he hissed to the dragon, and was delighted to see it follow his order and crawl away from him, leaving the nest with eggs fully exposed to him. He could feel the apprehension in the beast as he approached the nest. It seemed that even now some of its motherly traits shone through. He however had no reason to raise its ire, as he only had to retrieve the golden egg.

The dragon no longer hindered him, and therefore he simply reached down and grabbed the egg with his free hand and turned around to exit the pit again, not sparing one glance to the dragon behind him.

He groaned at the thought of not getting to try out his other plans, but then realized that the task was first officially over when he was out of the pit, and brightened visibly as he looked about the close vicinity of himself.

He quickly focused on a small pile of stones nearby and with a burst of concentrated imagination muttered two spells in quick succession under his breath and was happy to see the many instruments now floating in midair. The second spell set them playing and he exited the stadium to some lovely upbeat music, feeling pretty darned good about himself.

The egg was surprisingly light, and he hardly felt burdened as he walked back into the silent and empty tent.

He took a seat and looked at the golden egg in his lap.

"Now why did I have to go through such trouble to get my hands on you", he said and stared at the unresponsive egg.

DB -

Fleur was staring down at the pit where the dragon had halted in its track and seemingly lost its desire to see the blood of Harry stain the ground.

But what really had her gripping the back of the seat in front of her, was the fact that Harry just calmly walked out from behind the rock and stared at the dragon with a fervent intensity, but she could see the wariness in his steps.

But what seemed even more startling was the fact that he seemed to be speaking to the dragon, as was evidenced by moving of his lips. However what was even more startling was the fact that the dragon somehow seemed to be responding, if the loud hissing was any indication.

She could hear whispers explode around her as more and more people noticed what she had.

"What is he doing?", a young Beauxbaton girl who was sitting nearby asked.

"I have no idea, but what is the dragon doing?", another nearby girl answered. "Why isn't it attacking?"

"He's talking to it, can't you see his mouth moving", the first girl responded in a confused voice.

"But why? Does he really expect it to understand him or something, or has he gone mad?"

Fleur listened to the conversation with half an ear, and actually paid more attention to the happenings down in the pit. Though the girls were right in one thing, he was definitely speaking to the dragon, but even she doubted the sanity of his current actions. However she had faith in him, and sincerely hoped he had a back up plan.

Her attention were firmly focused on Harry, until picked up a snippet of conversation nearby again.

"… you sure?", a girl asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

"I don't know for sure, but I overheard some of the Hogwarts students say it", a new girl said, and she seemed slightly out of breath as if she'd just been running.

"But even if he is a… a Parselmouth, it doesn't mean anything. I mean they are only supposed to be able to talk to snakes, not dragons."

The newly arrived girl simply snorted, although she tried to keep it to a whisper. "As if you're the expert on Parselmouths. For all we know they might be able to talk to birds as well, though that seems unlikely."

Fleur whirled about, though she attempted to still keep half an eye on Harry down in the pit.

"What did you say?", she demanded of the trio of girls chattering about it, and they quickly sat up straight and stared at her with slightly frightful look. She was after all known to have quite a temper.

When no answer was forthcoming, she snapped at them. "Tell me, what was it you had heard about Harry?"

Though only a couple of years younger than her, all three girls seemed to shrink in on themselves. But unconsciously two of the girls seemed to be hiding behind slightly behind the middle girl, and said girl also took a step forward.

"I heard some of the English students saying that Harry Potter was a Parselmouth, and that he had been speaking to snakes in his second year, and they think he's somehow speaking to the dragon", the middle girl managed to squeak forth.

"So he _is_ talking to the dragon", she mumbled to herself.

"Did you hear anything else", she demanded of the girl.

"Nothing, but they did say he only seen using it briefly in the second year, and something about a Chamber of Secrets."

"What is this Chamber of Secrets?", Fleur asked imploringly, albeit a bit softer. Though she was more than a little intrigued about this news. Firstly, the news of a Parselmouth would have traveled across the British borders, despite their attempt to keep the news from spreading. Everyone had heard of the last known Parselmouth, which was Voldemort.

Though she could understand why he would keep such information to himself, he probably didn't want to deal with the less than popular feelings from the common people that the ability carried with it. It was a stigma, not awful, but enough to make everyday life annoying.

"I don't know", the girl said, more a bit less flustered. "They didn't mention."

"Thanks", Fleur said and was already turning away from the girl, when she felt a lurch. Not of the physical kind, even though the response almost crossed over into those lands. It was more of a pull from inside her, not remotely straining at all, but it still gave her pause, until she discovered what the feeling was.

Her eyes instantly riveted to Harry down in the pit, and focused on the scene played out before her.

What she was feeling was what she had felt every single time Harry had used his power on her, except she could feel that he was not trying to induce the same feelings he was when he had been used them on her. She somehow felt 'what' he was trying to do, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

It was so alien to her, like a raging ocean where she normally dealt with a calm river.

The actually happenings in the pit displayed nothing of the fight truly raging down there. Harry and the dragon were caught in an unblinking staring match, and it seemed to go on forever. Meanwhile the muttering of the crowd became increasingly louder, and she could hear several people about her quietly whispering about Parselmouths.

Suddenly she felt another lurch within her core as Harry forced his will through, and she could see an immediate physical effect on the dragon. Though not obvious it no longer held a threatening pose, actually it almost shied away from him. A small smile played on Harry's lips as he seemed to catch his breath, but she could see and almost feel his amusement.

Her eyes followed his form intently as he simply walked towards the dragon. The dragon suddenly leapt away from his path, as he walked closer to the nest containing the eggs, where he nonchalantly picked up the golden egg totally disregarding the fierce looking dragon behind him.

"How strong is he really?", Fleur asked herself quietly, as she watched him reenter the tent from which he had emerged.

Suddenly the stadium became abuzz with talk, and the noise was overwhelming as people turned this way and that to talk about this new discovery, and Beauxbaton and Durmstrang were no better than the Hogwarts students, in fact they were actually worse. The Hogwarts students took it rather well, but that was to be considered as most of them probably already knew about this little dirty secret.

She was actually beginning to consider just skipping the announcing of his score in favor of getting away from all this noise when suddenly the magically amplified voice of Bagman appeared again. The crowd instantly quieted, though occasional whispers could be heard.

"_Uhh… Well… Well done to Harry Potter, he managed to get past his dragon with the most ingenious, and unpredictable way of all that we have seen so far, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we've all been astounded at the happenings during this match"_, the magically amplified voice boomed over the stadium. _"The judges seem ready to let us in on their estimations. So we should not keep you waiting, I say."_

Everyone turned as one to the raised podium with the judges.

Fleur followed the example of the crowd and looked up to the men and women judging the performance.

One by one the numbers went up in the air.

"_How very… surprising",_ the magically amplified voice continued. _"It amounts to an amazing 41 points, a very impressive score. However despite the amazing score, he still ends up as the last in total, though the race is not lost yet. He now holds the clue to the second test, and he will have plenty of time to shine at the next challenge."_

Sparse booing erupted over the stadium, but did however soon die out. Fleur herself was not really surprised at this, but she could still feel the rage boil up inside her, however she kept it tightly leashed. She contented herself with the knowledge that they would someday discover the mistake they had made and wish they would have acted differently.

Soon enough the crowd erupted into action. The main event of the day was over and they seemed to have more urgent matters to attend, though she could hardly think of what activities one could attend in Hogwarts that was more appealing than attempting to follow this contest. However, she might have been a bit subjective, both because of her own position in this tournament as well as Harry's own involvement.

So without raising more attention than she usually did, simply being who she was, she followed the crowd out of the stadium, but she hung back a bit hoping to catch Harry as he went back to the castle, but it wasn't to be as it seemed he had already gone when she poked her head into the tent.

A bit miffed as the missed opportunity she ventured back with the last remnants of the crowd to the castle. What annoyed her even more was that she was beginning to develop a persistent headache, but it was so weak that she was easily able to simply brush it off and continue on her merry way.

A familiar crown of dirty-blonde curly hair caught her attention further ahead as she noticed the same girl she had been searching for Harry with further ahead. Despite knowing that she had an advantage in the form of naturally gifted magical looks, the whole deal with Louise couldn't help but put out some of her ardor, and she felt a slight prick of jealousy begin to rear its head.

However, Harry's performance in the tournament had made her incredibly interested, and she remembered that he had mentioned that this Daphne girl would be the one to coach and help him in this tournament, which meant that she might be able to answer some of her questions.

So she began to quietly make her way closer to the girl, who was surprisingly agile and limber as she partly weaved through the crowd and partly made the other people make way for her just by her mere presence.

So she was almost to the front gates before she finally caught up with her, and fell silently into step with her. Daphne only briefly looked at her, seemingly not taken by surprise at all, before she focused her attention in front of her again.

"Hello", Fleur said, and decided she might as well dive right into it. "That was a fairly eye-opening performance by Harry today, don't you agree?"

Daphne didn't seem in the slightest put out, and actually looked a bit proud.

"It sure was, though I would lean more towards that it was an amazing experience in and of itself", she replied casually. "However, I must admit that I'm not really that overly surprised by the entire deal."

"Oh, that's right", Fleur exclaimed in mock-surprise. "Harry said you were helping him with preparations for the task, so you must have known what he was planning on doing."

"No use denying it", she said calmly.

"Did you know that he was going to going to 'talk' to the dragon?", she asked bluntly.

Daphne observed her through a slightly arched eyebrow. "Yes, I did. He did after all consult me on that particular subject."

"How did he know it would work?", Fleur asked intrigued. "The dragon might as well just have torn him apart."

"True", she conceded. "But where there is no risk there is no true gain. As to how he knew… well you will have to ask him yourself."

Fleur took that comment for what it was an end to the conversation, however a glimmer of movement caught her eyes, and she then noticed that Daphne was carrying an edition of the Newspaper, the Prophet, with a startling picture of a burning house.

"Excuse me", she said again and pointed at the newspaper. "But can I please have a look at that?"

"Keep it", Daphne replied and handed it over. "I'm done with it anyways."

Daphne said nothing more as she simply left Fleur behind with the national newspaper, and soon enough Fleur again found herself alone.

She unfolded the newspaper and took a look at the front page.

**Ministry Employee Died In Tragic Fire**

_Ministry-employed co-director of International Travel in the Ministry of Magic, Arthur McPherson, died in a tragic house fire. The authorities were first informed by a neighbor of the deceased McPherson when she first suspected something was wrong. She had been floo-calling aforementioned co-director and had immediately noticed that the high flames when her head appeared in the deceased's hearth._

"_It was terrible", neighbor, Doreen Biltby said with tears in her eyes. "I had lent Arthur some books, which I needed back. But when I appeared in his hearth I was terrified to see that his entire living room was bathed in flames."_

_Doreen Biltby was fortunate enough to be under the effects of the floo-powder and therefore sustained no injuries from the scorching flames. She immediately called for help from the ministry before gathering what wizards and witches that she could to contain the situation until the proper authorities arrived._

_When the ministry employees arrived on the scene the deceased's house had burned to the ground, and the witnesses reported that the flames had been resistant to magical means of extinguishment. The authorities have found the charred remains of a human and have successfully ascertained the identity as the deceased McPherson._

_As of yet the authorities have nothing to say but that it's a tragic happening and that they are as of yet uncertain of the cause for the fire._

Fleur stared at the paper for a few more seconds before shaking her head and moving on. Despite the entire deal being a regretful matter it didn't really concern her, though she did have a few choice words about the explicitness of the front page, especially the picture. It showed the house still on fire with flames licking at its sides while one could see various witches and wizards trying to extinguish the fire through various means.

She handed the paper to one of the guys walking near her, who was staring intently at her with a dreamy expression. He took it with trembling hands and looked at it as if it was the greatest gift anyone had ever given him.

She didn't spare him another glance as she walked away, chuckling wryly. At least they were good for something.

The crisp late autumn weather halted as soon as she stepped inside the halls of Hogwarts again, turning comfortably warm.

However the discovery that Harry was a parselmouth was pretty shocking and she honestly had no idea how that came to be. She had, along with the other students at Beauxbaton, been studying Harry slightly, which also meant some of his family tree and their accomplishments, and though her memory could be better she was pretty certain that none of them were parselmouths or else they had done a very good job of hiding it.

However that didn't seem very likely, which is what brought on her confusion, and several questions.

Is it possible to develop such powers without having some sort of predisposition to them, or was it just some sort of genetic evolutionary step? But it couldn't be a coincidence when taking into account that Voldemort had been a parselmouth as well and with the connection they shared such a coincidence seemed very unlikely.

However despite the circumstances behind his attaining of such a unique power, it really mattered little to her. The others from her school, and those of Durmstrang, were another matter entirely. They cared greatly for such a development, since the ability to speak to snakes carried an immense stigma.

The entire deal of worrying for Harry had stolen a good piece of her energy and she felt hunger gnawing at her, and unconsciously her feet took her in the direction of the Great Hall, hoping she could something to sate her hunger.

DB -

He had quickly decided that simply staring at the golden egg in his lap would by no means be productive, and besides he felt the pangs of hunger establishing itself. So with the need to feed urging him on he tucked the egg under his arm and left the confines of the tent in a small sprint. If he was lucky he could avoid the majority of the students on his way to the Great Hall.

The chilly afternoon air hit his face and a small shiver ran down his back. Soon enough he strode through the great oaken doors of the castle, and was assaulted by the delightfully warm air of the interior of the castle. Unfortunately for him it seemed he had lingered too long in the tent as a few students were already in the front hall, all heading in the same direction as him, the Great Hall, where dinner would soon enough be served, if it hadn't already.

He saw some of the students looking pointedly at him, and his egg as well, and he couldn't stop the sigh that escaped his mouth and he securing a good grip on his golden luggage, he walked into the Great Hall, to see a good deal of the student population already there. As he looked at the four tables in front of him, a dilemma presented itself.

Where would he sit?

He didn't exactly feel like being social with the brave kittens, and he had already had the pleasure of being seated at the table of the smart and wise eagles. So the choice was either the good-natured and friendly badgers or the sneaky and cunning snakes. However he had no preconceptions about how the badgers felt about him right now, after all, he had stolen the limelight of their precious champion.

So the only real choice was to sit with the glaring and hissing crowd of snakes. Who would probably be incensed that he'd been speaking Parsel.

However, before he had a chance to act on his decision he felt a poke on his shoulders and turned around to see the familiar face of Daphne, who wore a slight smile.

"Hello Daphne", he greeted her and grinned deviously. "I was just deciding which table I should grace with my presence today, and I think your housemates deserve the honor, do you not agree?"

"I see no reason why they wouldn't be overjoyed by the prospect", she responded humorously.

"Then," he returned with a smile. "Shall we?"

"Indeed we shall", she replied and looped her arm through his. "By the way, well done with the dragon. Mind if I ask what you talked about?"

"Nothing much to talk about really. It just seemed to think it was superior to me", he said and distaste could clearly heard in his voice. "And I don't like to be looked down upon."

"I understand. Can I assume that you used _that_ against it?", she queried cautiously, careful not to talk too loud.

He nodded. "I needed to see whether or not I could do it. But enough of that, let's sit and eat, I'm a bit famished after that display."

They took a seat at the Slytherin table and only received small amounts of hissed insults from the small numbers of snakes that were present, though odds were that that would change soon enough.

His stomach rumbled in agreement with his actions when he poured a good deal of food onto his plate, whereas Daphne opted to keep the meal more controlled.

As he chewed the through another potato, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the golden egg lying on the table beside his plate. The egg itself was by no means simple; all around it was carved small figures and lines ran throughout the entire thing a bit like veins, and now that he looked he could also make out a small hatch, like it could somehow be opened.

That warranted further investigation, though that would have to wait for another day, he simply did not have the mental reserves right now to even attempt to figure out the next challenge. Using that much of his power had been almost as tiring as the last time he'd used it with Fleur. He wondered what the point of having that much power was, if he practically fainted from exhaustion when using only half of it. It hardly seemed good that he'd have to use a Fortitude Potion to simply utilize the full range of his powers.

However his time for self-reflection was abruptly ended when Draco along with the remaining Slytherins arrived at their table.

"What are you doing here, Potter?", Draco demanded, seemingly rebounded from their previous encounter, though he did send a wary glance in Daphne direction.

Said witch was staring unblinkingly at Draco, and even Harry might have been a bit unnerved had that stare been directed at him. However she did nothing more than take a cursory scan over the entire group lingering a bit on a few people before focusing on Draco's face.

"Ahh, there you are Draco", he said in mock-politeness. "I was just waiting for you to grace me with your delightful presence. Please do sit down and dazzle me with stories of your fantastic life."

Draco sneered, but otherwise didn't react to the taunt.

"You do know Potter that people are going to think you're a dark wizard again now, and now you won't have the weasel and mudblood to cry your heart out to", he mocked. "It is really quite sad that even blood traitors and filthy mudbloods don't want to even associate with you."

Harry shrugged. "Meh, what can I say; I'm not for the faint of heart."

The blond boy apparently a bit put off by the apathy of his hated rival visibly collected his thoughts for a moment.

"_Why_ are you here?", he reiterated.

"I don't see any sign saying, 'No Potters Allowed', so I assumed that there would be no trouble with me sitting here, and as I mentioned before. I really could use some of your delightful company. You always manage to make me laugh somehow."

The irate blonde boy growled audibly and pulled his wand out from beneath his robe, but carefully hid it from the view of staff table. He however did point it threateningly at Harry, whose only response was to smile brightly at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", Daphne said sweetly from the other side of Harry. "You wouldn't want to get hurt, now would you?"

It was first at this point that everyone, Harry included, realized that Daphne had her own wand pointed at Draco discreetly.

Draco's eyes focused briefly on the wand pointed at his midsection before fastening his eyes to the grey ones of Daphne, more wary than before. Though a sneer still managed to work its way onto his face.

"I thought I had warned you already Daphne. But it seems my warnings went unheeded. Maybe I really should have a talk with Professor Snape?", he said while glaring at Daphne.

"You've been making those threats before and you haven't really followed through on them, so riddle me this", Daphne mocked him. "Why should I believe a boy who can't back up his words?"

"Ahh, but Daphne, we can't all be men of our words, now can we?", Harry quipped, and snickered. "There has to be some unreliable people, else being honest wouldn't be that special."

Both Crabbe and Goyle, who were flanking Draco, seemed at a loss at the repartee of the three people. Though that might have something to do with the limited brain capacity of the two equaled that of dog.

However behind the trio seemed to be gathering a number of Slytherins who seemed to be equally surprised at seeing them there. Though none of them made as big a fuss about it as Draco, and they quietly settled down at the table, though they all set with a good amount of space between themselves and the Harry and Daphne, however they all sat suspiciously close enough to be able to overhear whatever conversation the pair would be having.

Harry chuckled softly when he noticed this, and Daphne smirked slightly.

They both turned away from the perturbed Slytherin, as if simply dismissing him and returned to the meal.

"Now be on your way Draco, I do so enjoy eating in peace", Harry said.

Daphne kept a wary eye on the enraged Slytherin, and Harry didn't feel in the slightest foolish for turning his back while Draco was so obviously incensed, for Daphne was leagues ahead of even him, not to mention Draco, and she would be able to deal with any situation that arose before Draco would be able to open his mouth.

Draco seemed to realize this as well because he huffed and sat as far away from them as possible, in contrast to the other Slytherins who seemed to have seated themselves as close to Daphne and him as possible without being seemingly associated with him.

"What do you think of my performance out there?", Harry asked quietly, without looking at Daphne.

"From what I saw, your performance was according to plan, though, no disrespect meant; I think we need to work a little more on your Transfiguration and Charms", she responded equally quietly. "But I honestly think you've startled everyone today."

Harry arched his brow. "Why would that be? I don't think any Hogwarts students would be overly surprised by this. Though I suppose the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs might be astonished by the fact, or probably just terrified by it as seemed to be the most common reaction in second year."

"You're wrong about that", Daphne responded, with a slight chuckle. "We, in Slytherin, have been trying to make the fact that you were a Parselmouth seem an unfounded rumor. You see, it was kind of embarrassing to have one of the few known Parselmouths in existence be a Gryffindor when that gift originally stemmed from the esteemed Salazar Slytherin."

He looked at her suspiciously before laughing lightly. "That's your attempt at saving face? Make it as if it never happened? Sounds a bit conceited"

Daphne huffed slightly, but had a slight sparkle in her eyes. "Well, it's not as if we had any other option. But I agree that it wasn't a very viable solution. However, though we would never be able to convince third year and up, the two newest years believe it to be nothing more than a rumor or at least most of them did."

Harry briefly looked over the hall, which was slowly filling with students. "I honestly haven't thought much about it since second year. But I didn't think it would be so important."

"You underestimate how conservative the old magical society is nowadays", she said with a smile.

"No wonder Malfoy was so mad", he said with a frown.

"That is very possible, though he did seem to be restraining himself. Perhaps he's finally become more sensible, though I'll see it before I believe it", she snorted.

"As would…", Harry began, but was cut off by an unknown redhead sitting in the seat across from him.

He turned to fully regard their new female companion, and his eyes were first drawn to thick wavy red hair. Her jaw was set firmly, and she was almost glaring at him with her deep brown eyes. Her body was almost completely hidden by the schools robes, except for a small glimpse of curves where one would expect it.

Harry chose to simply be silent until the new arrival made her purpose known, but apparently she was satisfied simply studying him, and so a small contest of wills began with her trying to stare him down and him trying not to sigh at the childishness of this girl.

"Cut it out Tracey, you're annoying Harry", Daphne said sharply.

True to her words Harry had grown considerably more irritated since the girl had taken a seat. But the name triggered his memory.

"Tracey Davis?", he inquired from the redhead.

"Yes, that's me", she confirmed frostily. "However what I'm interested in is knowing why you made Daphne give up her family name for you."

"Tracey", Daphne hissed, looking down the table for eavesdroppers.

Harry's stare however hardened from annoyance to prominent dislike in a matter of seconds. He'd quickly come to dislike that tone, since it was the same every single Hogwarts student spoke to him with. At least everyone that didn't believe him when he said he hadn't entered the tournament himself, did by now.

He briefly turned to look at Daphne, who was looking apprehensively at him.

"I assume you told her", he asked softly.

"I did", she said quietly. "But it seems I misjudged her ability to keep a rational mind."

"It matters not Daph", he said and flashed a small smile to put the girl at ease. "You said that your father would probably already know about this yesterday, so odds are that we'll be seeing him later today or tomorrow."

He turned back to Tracey who just kept on staring stonily at him, but he saw her eyes briefly flickering to Daphne.

"So you know that Daphne and me have come to an arrangement that required her to give up her family name", he stated flatly, but low enough that no eavesdroppers would happen to catch it. "What do you intend to do with this knowledge?"

"Depends…", she said vaguely, with a calculating look.

"On what?", Harry inquired with an arched brow.

"On the answer you give", she returned. "What I want to know is what deal you struck that was enough make her risk the ire of her family."

"You know; I don't care much for your tone", he said dryly.

Tracey's eye narrowed. "I don't care. You will give me an answer or I will make sure the Headmaster catches wind of this."

Daphne was about to retort, but Harry stopped her with a look.

"Resorting to threats now? I'm getting more disappointed by the second", he said with an unreadable stare. "And what makes you think I care if Dumbledore knows?"

She seemed sincerely shocked at his dismissal of her threat. "You do know what uproar and trouble this will bring, don't you?"

"Sure I do, but I could honestly not care less about what they think", he said. "But can't this wait till later? I really am a bit tired, and I just want something to eat."

"Then answer my question", Tracey growled. "Why did you allow Daphne to throw her life away for you?"

"You really think I would be able to make Daphne do something she didn't want to?", Harry responded bemusedly. "Apparently you don't think very highly of her."

"Answer me", Tracey snapped.

"I don't think you even have a clue as to the nature of the connection Daphne and I share", he said. "But I'm sure we can talk about this later. Perhaps this evening? At the Trophy Room?"

Tracey looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds, but her eyes briefly flickered to Daphne who seemed to be staring daggers at her.

She nodded stiffly and went further down the table to sit among the other Slytherins of her year, leaving Harry and Daphne alone again.

"I truly am sorry about this", Daphne said again. "If I had known this would have happened I would not have done so, but I felt I owed her as much."

Harry smiled gently at her and briefly caressed her hand. "Don't worry, I can see from the way she acted that you hadn't told her anything of real importance, besides we knew this day would come eventually."

In the comfortable silence that followed Harry cleaned off the rest of his plate quickly and he felt a considerable amount of his previously lost energy flowing through his limbs, invigorating him again. At least it seemed the aftereffects of using his powers so freely didn't seem to take nearly as great a toll on him as it used to.

The hall was slowly filling with a great deal more students of all three schools; all of them talking excitedly among themselves, and the hall was soon filled with chattering teens.

Harry had attempted to ignore it all until he saw a person sit down next to him and when he turned he was face to face with silvery blond hair and deep electric blue eyes.

He briefly lost himself in those deep eyes that seemed to suck him in, before he slightly shook his head and grinned at the newly-arrived Fleur. He couldn't stop himself from briefly letting his eyes roam over her delicate feminine features, and the alluring curves that were just barely visible under the concealing Beauxbaton uniform.

"I see someone has gotten her power under better control", he commented.

Fleur simply returned the grin with one of her own, though it seemed to serve a different purpose as it did nothing but arouse the male Veela as it only accentuated her rosy lips which he had only briefly felt caress his own.

"The same could be said for you", she responded with an arch of her brow. "What you did today was daring, I would even say it was bordering on stupid."

Despite the words, there were no heat in them; he could only hear worry in her voice, and where he might have flown off the handle at anyone else it did nothing but further endear her to him.

His grin changed into a genuine smile. "I know, but the only way to discover if it would work or not was to simply do it. You could say it was a do or die situation."

"Just don't do something reckless like that again, you hear me Harry?", she huffed, but despite it she still slid a bit closer to Harry till they were touching hip to hip.

Harry grinned slightly at the spectacle of the Veela sitting beside him and it was then that he began to notice that he was not the only one affected by Fleur's allure, as evidenced by the stares of practically every single male in the hall.

He didn't feel any resentment from being affected by her Allure, seeing as he had done the same to her multiple times before, and still was, just at a much lower degree. However, it did annoy him to have so many stares directed at her as he had become used to being the center of attention of all the females that had suddenly surrounded him and apparently it had also cultivated his possessive nature.

His annoyance however was short-lived as it was soon evident that he was the only one Fleur was focusing on, and she seemed to be only just acknowledging the presence of Daphne.

"I can't promise I won't have to do something similar in the next task, or even after", he said with a smile. "But I can promise that I'll at least try out other less dangerous approaches first, but I will only do so if you extend that same gesture to me."

Her deep blue eyes focused on his green ones with an intensity that almost took his breath away, but with it accompanied a wide smile that showed of her pearly white teeth and did wonderful things to her thin rosy lips.

"I accept; I will try to be as careful as I can in my tasks and in exchange I expect you to do so as well", she said brightly.

He smiled at her and made to reply as he heard a furious yell shattering the peace they currently enjoyed.

"DAPHNE!"

Harry immediately whirled about to locate the source of the shout, as did every other student in the hall.

He felt a small tug on his arm and turned about to see Daphne who was looking at him meaningfully. "It's my father", was the only explanation she uttered.

However that alone told him more than enough to stress the seriousness of the problem at hand. Not that Daphne's father could in any way contest the Vow that she had taken, but he was honestly a little annoyed.

First Draco had attempted to mock Harry and, though unsuccessful, he had still managed to annoy him slightly, and the appearance of Tracey and the almost literal inquisition she had tried to launch against him had done nothing but get on his nerves, and now this.

His eyes considerably darkened at this third intrusion on his peaceful meal as he turned back to the entrance of the Great Hall.

In it stood a very tall and imposing man, with very dark brown hair with streaks of silver running through it. His was wearing an immaculate robe, which only seemed to underline the vibe of authority that he seemed to be giving off. His face was set in a scowl, causing many of the students to turn away from him and the hard eyes did nothing to reassure the cowering students.

Harry noticed that his eyes immediately went to the Slytherin table and seemed to scan the inhabitants of it. However he didn't have to search long, because his eyes seemed lock on to Harry and he seemed to radiate hostile intent as he took slow steps towards them.

What surprised him however was the way Daphne actually hid behind him, as if to shield herself from her father, and his wonder at actually seeing the girl in this state, which he had thought impossible, soon turned into anger at the thought of someone being capable of scaring her to this degree.

He'd promised he would protect her and care for her, that was his part of the deal they'd struck, and he was going to keep his word no matter what.

He put a hand behind him, lightly gripping the hand of Daphne, to assure her that everything would be alright, and it seemed to work as she was taking deep calming breaths.

His eyes were still focused on the head of the Greengrass family drawing closer with every step. From this distance he could clearly see where Daphne had inherited her grey eyes from. Though the intent and emotion displayed in them was vastly different.

He stopped right in front of Harry and stared down at him with unreadable eyes for a few seconds before focusing on Daphne.

"Daughter", he said coldly, eyes sparkling with almost violent intent. "We have important matters to discuss, preferably in private."

Daphne though remained completely silent and offered no answer.

Harry could feel his blood boiling in rage at the presumptuousness of this man. His blood began pumping and adrenaline was flying through his body, and he quickly stood up putting himself between Daphne and her father.

"I think not Mr. Greengrass. Both you and me know that whatever authority and power you held over Daphne is now non-existent and that means that whatever problem you wish to speak with her about will be addressed to me", he said his voice hot with anger and his eyes narrowed. "And I think you'll find me even less malleable than she is."

Harry could practically see the nostrils flaring on the older man, and he was hard pressed to not immediately cow the man by releasing his Allure. He couldn't afford the risk of someone putting two and two together.

"I think you should be careful with who you antagonize", he said imperiously.

Harry laughed cruelly. "I think that goes doubly so for you Mr. Greengrass, do you really believe that threatening me will lead anywhere fruitful, do you really believe that you can succeed where Voldemort failed?"

Mr. Greengrass smirked maliciously at him. "You aren't as untouchable as you might think Mr. Potter", he spat. "There are many ways to ruin a person, physically by far being the most boring."

Harry grinned again. "You're not even capable of holding together a family, so I must admit that your threats are not as fearsome as they might have otherwise been."

Mr. Greengrass' eyes flashed darkly and his right hand darted towards his left sleeve, and in that instant he also felt Daphne draw her own wand and point it discreetly towards her own father in the gap between his arm and his body and he also felt Fleur shuffle slightly from where she was seated.

"What is this?", came the thundering voice of Dumbledore and Harry saw both Daphne's and Mr. Greengrass' wands fly away from their owner and towards the aged Headmaster who smoothly caught them.

"Might I enquire what this dilemma is about?", Dumbledore asked, though there was no doubt that it was a demand.

Indignation could be seen in the eyes of the tall Head of Greengrass and he drew himself up. "It is regarding a family matter, and I would prefer to keep it so for the time being."

"If it entails the aggressiveness of wands then I must ask you to leave as I will not stand for violence in Hogwarts", Dumbledore warned. "However, if you simply wish to talk about this dilemma, then my office is open to you and your daughter if you prefer a more private setting."

Mr. Greengrass seemed to mull this proposition over for a second. "Sounds reasonable enough", he said with a slight nod at the aged headmaster.

"Very well then, Mr. Greengrass, Miss Greengrass, would you both please…", he began only to be cut off by Harry.

"That won't be happening", he said sternly with a determined look at Dumbledore. "She will not go anywhere with Mr. Greengrass without my presence."

Dumbledore stared at Harry for a good measure of time, and Harry could almost feel the disappointment wafting off of him. Dumbledore then turned his eyes on Daphne whose eyes burned fiercely.

"Is this correct Miss Greengrass?"

"Indeed it is Headmaster. I will not go anywhere without Harry", she responded and upheld her end of a staring contest between her and Dumbledore.

He sighed. "Then let us retreat to a more comfortable setting."

He turned about quickly to nod reassuringly at Daphne, before turning his smile on Fleur.

"Sorry our conversation got cut short, hopefully we can continue this later on", he said. "Though I might be preoccupied the rest of the evening. But what do you say I show you some of the more infamous places in Hogwarts and on the grounds tomorrow?"

She looked at him with worried eyes, but did not question him. "I will be looking forward to it", she said.

"See you tomorrow then", he said and a small smirk slid onto his face. "Don't forget about me."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's a possibility even if I had wanted to", she said warmly.

The trek to the Headmasters Office was uneventful, but he would have enjoyed the way every student moved out of his way, had it not been for the imminent 'discussion' they'd be having in just a few minutes.

He could see Mr. Greengrass occasionally looking disdainfully over his shoulder at him, and the cold look his daughter received was by no means lost on Harry either.

He edged slightly closer to Daphne and patted her reassuringly on the arm, and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry so much Daph. This is the reason you came to me, remember? He can't do anything, so relax", he said in hopes of calming her down, and it seemed to work as the strained ball worry, dread and a sliver of fear that dominated her emotions seemed to dissolve.

He had been unable to discern any emotions from her before when they'd been surrounded by throngs of people, but he had quickly become painstakingly aware of the effect that Mr. Greengrass had on Daphne when they had put enough distance between them and the crowds.

"I know", she responded but kept her eyes rigidly trained on the back of her father. "But we should still not underestimate him, he is far from stupid."

"I kind of got that impression", he said wryly. "And don't worry, I'll be careful, and if I'm about to make a mistake, tell me okay?"

"I will, though nothing we are prepared to tell them will appease either of them", she said quietly.

"He still doesn't know the full truth; else I imagine this would have gone over differently", he said. "But unfortunately it seems we'll have to let the cat out of the bag. Think you can handle it? The entire school will probably know by morning."

"Their opinion matters nothing to me", she said.

He smiled at her, only to turn serious again immediately as they stopped in front of the stone gargoyle that Harry had become very familiar with in the years of being in Hogwarts, and none of the visits had ever been preceded by any wondrous events.

"Toffee", Dumbledore said cheerily and stepped through the void created by the gargoyle moving out of the way. "Wonderful treats muggles makes these days."

"I'm sure they taste quite well", Mr. Greengrass said. "But that is not why we're here."

"Quite true", Dumbledore responded and the small party lapsed into silence as they ascended the stairs to the office.

They all entered a grand oval room with bookcase after bookcase running all around, every single inch of each one lined with a multitude of books, each one more intriguing than the one that came before.

Above the bookcases was a plethora of magical paintings, all with wizened but imposing witches and wizards. All the chatter that had filled the room had disappeared the moment they stepped into the room, and he knew from previous visits that they were all listening for new juicy rumors.

A few odd tables were located in the room, all abundant with one strange device after the next, all of them radiating some form of magic or another, and Harry couldn't help but be slightly intrigued by it.

"Please, do make yourself comfortable", Dumbledore said and drew his attention to him. The headmaster had already taken a seat behind the wide oaken desk and stared intently at his guests, and they all soon had taken a seat, though both Harry and Daphne chose to sit a few seats away from Mr. Greengrass.

"I assume anything we say here will not leave this room", Mr. Greengrass asked before anything thing of real importance could be said.

"I can assure that whatever we discuss here today will remain between the four of us only", Dumbledore replied.

Mr. Greengrass nodded stiffly to the Headmaster before turning his contempt-filled eyes on his daughter. "Would you explain why when I returned home yesterday, I found your name wiped off the family tree?"

Daphne briefly looked to Harry, asking permission to tell her story, and Harry nodded his consent.

When he acquiesced something significantly changed about her demeanor. She no longer seemed like the previously scared daughter nor the young fourth year girl studying at Hogwarts. Furthermore it seemed like a curtain had been pulled over her, before prominent, bundle of emotions, and shocked him briefly, but he decided to dwell on the matter at a later time.

"As you well know Father, you and I have different opinions on where my future should lie, and since it seemed that nothing I said made any difference I decided to take matters into my own hands. What you see on the family tapestry is the result of the solution I found", Daphne explained in a cool voice while maintaining eye contact with her father.

Mr. Greengrass didn't even blink. "Might I ask what this solution was, since it seemed to be good enough trade off your family name in return?"

"We both agreed that there was no reason to hide anything Daph", Harry reassured her.

Daphne nodded but still kept her eyes locked onto her fathers, whose own eyes only briefly flickered from her to him and back again.

"Harry and I have entered into a… contract of sorts", Daphne said vaguely. "One that enabled me to at least to have some measure of control over my own life should turn out. It is fully binding and magically reinforced so any attempt to negate or cancel it would not be successful."

"I see"; Mr. Greengrass replied curtly. "And I assume there is no way I can convince either you or Mister Potter to void the contract on your own?"

"If I were you I wouldn't get my hopes up about that", Harry responded. "Neither of us holds the power to void the contract in any way. We are both bound irrevocably to it."

Dumbledore interrupted for the first time.

"I think both me and Mr. Greengrass are very interested in the details of this contract. Would you mind enlightening us?"

"As I am sure you are aware there are a numbers of ways to leave your family, from disownment to denouncing them yourself", she said as she turned towards the aged Headmaster. "However what made it difficult for me in general was that I realized that I would generally only stand to lose something if I denounced my family name and there was no way that my Father would willingly disown me, and the only measures that could ensure that he would do it would humiliate myself more than anyone."

Dumbledore nodded. "I see. But it does seem that you managed to find some way around that."

"Indeed I did Professor," Daphne responded. "Suffice it to say that I entered a contract similar to that of a Chattel Contract."

She looked at her Father who stared at her disbelievingly. "But as most of us know a Chattel Contract don't eliminate magical ties to one's family, you become a retainer for another family but at the same time still maintain your birthname and some of the functions attached to it."

"What I found was an old oath of servitude; it is a spell of old Roman descent and I only stumbled upon it by happenstance. But it provided exactly what I wanted. I am no longer a Greengrass, I am simple Daphne", Daphne explained coolly.

"You've…", Mr. Greengrass said with rage in his eyes. "You've made yourself a… a slave to this… whelp."

Harry himself felt the stirrings of anger bubble in his chest at the derogatory term, but calmed down with the knowledge that Mr. Greengrass would be infinitely more angry at the moment.

"That is true Father, but I chose to do so myself", she retorted sharply. "Besides, I really haven't lost much by doing this, in fact, it seems that I've only gained by entering into this contract. So you see, my personal freedom was a small price to pay."

Dumbledore turned his weary but sharp eyes on Harry. "Is this true Harry?"

"Every word Professor, and so far we're both content with the arrangement and I don't expect it will end anytime soon, if ever", Harry responded sincerely.

"I hope you understand what you've done Harry," Dumbledore said gravely. "Maybe right now taking control of another person seems fun and exciting, but nothing good lies down that road. Furthermore you will have irreparably changed her life."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I have no intentions of stopping her growth or to keep her from becoming all that she can be."

"She will no longer receive any support from me", Mr. Greengrass hissed with narrowed eyes and turned to look at Daphne. "You hear me, you are on your own regarding schooling and everything. As of this moment you may no longer consider your sister, me or your mother family."

With that the Head of Greengrass rose imperiously and walked briskly out the office, leaving behind the Headmaster and two young students.

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"It appears Miss Greengrass that you will cease to attend Hogwarts as of the ending of this year of schooling", Dumbledore said wearily. "It saddens me as few in your year possess as much skill as you do."

"She will still attend Hogwarts Professor", Harry said. "I meant what I said about me having no intentions of stopping her growth. However I will be the one to pay her tuition instead."

Dumbledore stared with unreadable eyes at Harry for some time, before nodding his consent. "Very well, I will be sure to notify the right people of this."

"Thank you, I appreciate that", Harry said, then stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "If you would excuse us, I am rather tired and would like to rest a bit."

Dumbledore smiled for the first time during the entire encounter. "I would assume so, it was rather impressive how you've managed to control your more Slytherin abilities to such an extent, and I suspect I was not the only one surprised today. I dare say you've given us the answer to almost millennia long speculations. If possible I would like to hear more about how dragons think at a later time."

"I will see if I can find time at some point Professor", Harry responded amiably; though they both knew that they would never meet for such a reason.

Dumbledore inclined his head and Harry and Daphne rose, only to stop again abruptly as a burst of fire appeared out of thin air in front of them. The fire quickly died down to show Fawkes hovering in front of him looking at him with penetrating orange eyes.

Harry returned the stare for a moment before shrugging it off to walk away from the phoenix. He only allowed himself to take a proper deep breath. He had been a bit rattled by the day's happenings, despite knowing what was to happen.

But overall the entire day was one big success, from start to finish.

"That was actually the first time I've ever been to the Headmaster's office", Daphne said lightly, as if just making conversation. "I always thought him having a phoenix was just rumors."

"Fawkes?, Harry responded offhandedly. "From what I understand he's been with Dumbledore for a good many decades."

"That is unusual", Daphne mused. "No one really knows how many phoenixes are left in the world, but speculations have always placed them in the low fifties. They are close to extinct and no one really knows how they procreate."

"I would assume it would be like any other bird. You know; eggs and all", Harry countered, before continuing on a more serious note. "I have trouble believing that such versatile creatures as phoenixes are close to being extinct. Aren't they immortal or something?"

"As I said, not much is known about phoenixes. True; they aren't capable of dying from open hostilities, but they can be killed. Certain potions ingredients can only be obtained through a dead phoenix, but it is illegal in every magical community to even so much as harm a phoenix", Daphne explained. "But I suppose it won't stop people who _really_ want to get their hands on such ingredients."

"Interesting as that may be Daphne", Harry said suddenly, and turning inquisitive eyes on her for a second before facing forward again. "I am more interested in how _you're_ doing right now. It can't have been easy."

Daphne was silent for a bit, and Harry was about to prompt her again when she broke the silence.

"I'm not quite sure yet", she said uncertainly. "It was harder than I thought it would be. No matter how much it galls me to say, I've feared that man for a good part of my life, it's hard to just let it go."

Harry nodded in understanding.

He had felt the same in regards to the Dursley's, and it had taken him some time to come to the realization that they no longer had any real hold over him. It was true that he was bound to them by blood, but the connection ended there.

He would not look twice if he found one them dead on the side of the road; well perhaps only to spit at their corpses and that was only if it didn't take up too much of his time. He suspected he'd have no trouble finding suitable places to live over the summers if that is what was required.

The point was that it had taken him a significant amount of time to shake off the conditioning that he had received from his muggle relatives, and he supposed the same would be true for Daphne and her family. He also doubted that the week that had passed since their contract had been enough to reconcile with that fact.

"For what it's worth it will get easier in time Daph", Harry said comfortingly. "You just have to get adjusted to that way of thinking."

Daphne smiled at him. "Thank you Master."

At that moment he felt the curtain that had been drawn between his extrasensory abilities and her bundle of emotions lift, and he knew that she had been calmed by his words from what he could feel of her emotions.

It had been disconcerting to not be able to feel her emotions as he had grown used to it over the time, and therefore he had been relieved to feel the return of them.

He had also made a point to remember that he could not feel Dumbledore nor Mr. Greengrass' emotions either. He supposed there was the off chance that since the normal Veela Allure only worked on men it stood to reason that his more unique abilities connected to his Allure would only affect women, though it had worked on the crowd in the Gryffindor common room.

He had not really tested the boundaries of his abilities yet, and had only used them for his own hormonal reasons as of now. He supposed he should devote some time to further practice it, and fortunately for him the castle was full of potential test subjects.

He just had to be careful when going about it.

"Master, do you still intend to meet Tracey tonight?", Daphne asked, derailing his train of thought.

"Huh? Tracey?", Harry responded with a puzzled look. "Oh, right. To be completely honest I had no intentions of meeting with her at all. I just said it to get her off my back. Whatever she intended to say was only viable until your father visited anyway."

Daphne nodded. "I suppose that is true, and she didn't really provide the best first impression that she could."

"To say the least," Harry snorted, then looked sideways at Daphne again, briefly scrutinizing her face. "But I understand you have some connection to the girl, and I would not pull you apart if you would like to continue being her friend."

Harry was briefly surprised when Daphne laughed. "Friend is such a strong word. She and I were allies of sorts, though with your permission I would like to keep it that way, as it could still prove useful while in Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "By all means continue your 'alliance', it's not like we have anything better to do right now, and as you said; who knows when it might come in handy?"

"Very well", Daphne acknowledged. "Then I guess our rooms will be the next stop?"

He nodded in reassurance of the guess.

Not much was said after that and a comfortable silence settled during the long trek from the headmaster's office on the seventh floor to their own rooms on the third floor.

* * *

AN: Thank you for taking the time to read through this chapter, and always appreciate the reviews, as well any criticism you feel is appropriate as long as it is relevant to the story.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape or form own Harry Potter and the related characters. I do however own, my original characters and the plot.

AN: Sorry for the delay in the newest chapter release this time, but this was the only chapter I so far hadn't finished. However, sadly you will have to get used to it. From now on I will be writing new chapters as I go along, and it will take significantly longer, as I will have to fit it in between college and my job. Thought you should know.

Also you should know that in this chapter there will be more intense scenes, character death, and some of the main characters will personality traits that some people will hate. When I started this fic, I started it out on a small but important premise; why do Fleur always have to be so nice? Why can't she be the manipulating, tough, spiteful seductress. The main reason she has seemed so pleasant so far is because she has only been in the company of Harry for the most part, in this particular chapter we will see her interact with other people away from him. Likewise, you're going to see exactly how dis-associated Harry has become from the general populace of Hogwarts, it will probably astound most.

That's about it. Enjoy the read.

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

Surprise and concern had been the most dominant emotions when the distinguished man had stormed up to Harry. His focus had been mostly on Daphne, but he had still spared Harry a nasty look which had put her on her toes.

She had discreetly removed her wand from her holster within her robe, just in case the situation had turned volatile. However she needn't have worried at all as both the elder Greengrass and his daughter, as she quickly deduced, had had their wands seized by the Hogwarts Headmaster.

Harry left quickly but not before extracting a promise from Fleur to meet the following day.

So she was soon enough left alone at dinner in the Great Hall, except for the occasional young boys asking her to the Yule Ball. The dining hall was filled with young teens gossiping. Mostly it was about the Tri-Wizard tournament, and mainly the last contestant, Harry, but the sudden emergence of Mr. Greengrass had only spurred the young men and women on, and soon the hall was abuzz with one conspiracy theory after another.

She herself was curious as she pondered the nature of the connection between Harry and Daphne, as she herself had been unable to find the link. It might explain the deference the girl showed to Harry and some of the more conspicuous comments she had picked up on.

She had lost her appetite after the display before and soon enough she was exiting the Great Hall leaving the noisy crowd behind, and she calmly ascended the staircases on the way to the Ravenclaw dormitory, with only a brief glace out the window at the waning sun.

They were a couple of days into December, and it was only getting marginally colder. There were no signs of snow at all, and she was unsure if any would fall in time for the Yule Ball, but she held out hope.

The walk was to the Ravenclaw tower was slow, but it gave her the time and necessary quiet to think properly.

It had quickly become obvious to Fleur that things would become complicated whenever Harry was involved and the trouble with Mr. Greengrass only further attested to this. Moreover, she suspected that trouble of one sort or another would always follow him around, and it seemed that this only became truer when it became obvious that he was a male Veela.

She had however confirmed a suspicion of hers today, when it came to the new breadth of her Veela powers. She had been able to affect Harry much more powerfully than she normally had, but it was still significantly less than how she had been able to affect ordinary men before her sudden boost. It was possible that his resistance simply came with his own Veela powers.

She still did not have complete control of her powers, but that was to be expected. Actually she thought she had done quite well so far, considering how long it had taken her to originally grasp it, but at that particular point in time she didn't have anything to compare it to, no base of reference.

She heard footsteps behind her, but she ignored them in favor of immersing herself in her own thoughts, at least until she felt a gentle but firm hand land on her shoulder.

She turned around ready to lash out at the person who had drawn her attention, and was a bit surprised to find one of Louise's cronies there, the petite redhead specifically.

Fleur adopted a haughty look, and attempted to project her irritation through sheer force of will. She could mention a hundred things she'd rather do than talk with one of Louise's henchwomen.

"What do you want Michelle?" Fleur asked, automatically going back to her native language, though it was heavily tinged with the impatience and annoyance she was feeling at the moment.

Michelle narrowed her eyes, but otherwise didn't respond to the non-verbal taunt. She however looked up and down the hall as if to ensure that nobody was listening in, raising Fleur's interest slightly.

"I have a favor to ask of you," she seemed to force out. Fleur herself realized how difficult this must have been for her, as she herself would never under any circumstances ask for help from Louise's or any of her cronies.

"Well, what is it about?" Fleur asked.

Michelle took a deep breath, drew herself up and stared into Fleur's eyes resolutely.

"It's about Louise," she said finally. "I assume you know about the situation between her and Harry Potter, right?"

Fleur nodded stiffly. "If you're referring to the fact that it's becoming common knowledge that they've had sex, then yes I do. But I don't see the problem yet, many people have sex, it's not exactly uncommon. You should know that as well as anyone."

Fleur could see from the sudden rigidity of Michelle's posture that her barb had struck home, but the girl kept herself under control.

"The problem is that Louise has become _very_ attached to him," Michelle continued as if the veiled insult hadn't even been uttered.

Fleur couldn't help but laugh condescendingly. "Are you saying that you're worried that Louise is actually developing feelings for him? Would it be better if it was just a meaningless one-night stand?"

"That's not what I meant," Michelle snapped, finally losing some of the reign on her temper. "The problem is that her attachment is bordering on obsession. She almost attacked another student today because he bad-mouthed Harry."

"So? I'm pretty sure Louise's is old enough to make her own decisions," Fleur retorted. "Though I sometimes have my doubts, and I still don't know what exactly it is I'm supposed to help you with."

"The problem is that if someone doesn't make her see what's happening to her, then she'll become so obsessed about Harry Potter, that she'll throw away everything she's been working for so far," Michelle said heatedly. "You need to say something to her, snap her out of this funk or whatever it is she's in."

Fleur was actually a bit stumped by her solution and couldn't help but look at Michelle as if the girl had a screw loose. "I don't know if you've noticed, but she hates me, and I doubt anything I say actually gets through that thick skull of hers."

"Yes you can, you're probably one of the only people who can actually get her to stop," Michelle retorted instantly. "She's fancies herself your rival, and measures herself up against you. If you somehow let it be known that you think he is immature or something it will eventually get to Louise. She wouldn't want something that you don't."

"So let me get this straight," Fleur began. "You want me to put down another Champion because you think it will help Louise realize that she, according to you, is acting in a very unhealthy manner? Tell me again why I should do it? For what we know they could very well have genuine feelings for one another."

It left a definite gall in her mouth just imagining it, actually saying it left her feeling almost emotionally ill.

Michelle's face grew very red, in what Fleur assumed was anger. "He's only talked to her one time since they were together, and she's been going insane from worry and he's not even passed along a message to her or anything, he's just been ignoring her."

"From what you say it doesn't seem as if Louise actually minds it," Fleur responded seriously. "Besides have you thought about the possibility that he's been too busy since then to focus his attention on her? In case you hadn't noticed he _is_ a Tri-Wizard Champion despite what many people prefer to pretend."

"He doesn't deserve her," Michelle shouted with anger predominant in her eyes. "She's a wonderful person and he's treating her like trash."

Then Fleur laughed as she finally found the root of the problem, and she continued laughing for a few minutes until she was almost out of breath. Meanwhile Michelle was only getting even more incensed, as it seemed she was taking her laughing as an insult.

"What are you laughing about?" Michelle suddenly snapped. "What's so funny about this?"

Fleur finally managed to calm her breathing and stop laughing, however she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"You should know better than anyone what is funny about this Michelle," Fleur said lightly.

"What are you talking about?" Michelle snapped.

"I actually do see what your problem is now, and it's amazing I didn't notice before," Fleur said with a wicked smile in place. "You're jealous."

"Jealous?" Michelle questioned.

"Yes, jealous. Jealous of Harry to be exact," she said and snickered. "You don't think he's worthy of Louise."

Michelle paled suddenly, the red leaving her instantly, and she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"You want her for yourself," Fleur continued gloatingly. "I wonder how you managed to keep this hidden from Louise for so long. How long have you been in love with her?"

"I'm… I'm not…," Michelle stuttered suddenly, the exact opposite of the personality she had been projecting previously.

"Don't lie to me," Fleur snapped impatiently. "I think we're past that point, aren't we?"

Michelle kept quiet, though if possible the petite redhead seemed to become even smaller.

"So you won't say anything?" Fleur inquired.

"Will you do it or not?" Michelle asked quietly, with her eyes focused on her toes.

"Help you break them apart so you can have her for yourself?" Fleur mocked. "I don't think so. You're on your own on that front, though I feel I should warn you that you have your work cut out for you, as I seriously don't think Louise has any lesbian tendencies."

Michelle winced as is she had been physically struck and sucked her breath in.

Michelle didn't say anything and simply skulked back down the corridor she had come from, like a beaten puppy, and Fleur suspected that it didn't help that she was snickering at the poor girl while she was practically running away with her tail between her legs.

When the redhead was out of sight, she sighed deeply.

That really had been cruel of her, but constantly hearing about Louise's brief exploits with Harry still angered her greatly, mostly because the closest she had gotten to that point was a brief chaste kiss in an empty hallway.

What steeled her nerves was the inevitability of her own victory over Louise. She still had the greatest weapon to wield over her, and that was her Veela Allure.

Which led her back to her previous thoughts from before she was rudely interrupted; she would have to further hone her abilities if she was to be capable of really attracting Harry in the way of the Veela.

Besides, she still had trouble controlling her Veela Fire to the extent she had been able to before, and whenever she managed to call it now it quickly flickered out of existence moments after, though it was significantly larger than it used to be.

She encountered no more people while walking through the halls and she occasionally snickered at the thought of one of Louise's best friends being in love with her, and extremely jealous of Harry. It however required that she keep a sharp eye on her as well, as it would not do for her turn hostile intentions towards Harry, if her jealousy pushed her that far.

When she arrived at the Ravenclaw tower it was surprisingly devoid of life, and she could only see one young Ravenclaw actually in the common room, and he was so engrossed in his book that he didn't even notice her entrance.

Soon enough she was secluded in her bed, she allowed sleep to overcome her thought-riddled mind.

Dream -

_She was walking down an old hallway._

_There wasn't much to see, the stone wall looked ancient, but the few portraits scattered across on it on her trek down the hall was in pristine shape._

_It however puzzled her that she couldn't make out what was painted on the portraits, as they all seemed hazy and blurred, and she could only vaguely make out figures and colors._

_The only thing that seemed substantial was the hallway and the undeniable urge to reach the end of it, to see what was there, and it was growing by the second._

_However alongside it was a growing sense of foreboding._

_Soon enough everything, but the stone-lined floor and the urge to discover what was at the end of it, was a giant blur and it was with a giant effort that she ripped her attention away from the hallway, and closed her eyes in an attempt to shut away the feelings._

"_Good, it wouldn't do for one of us to be weak-willed," said a very feminine voice, from behind her._

_Fleur quickly whirled around and felt slightly nauseous when the entire hallway seemed to ripple and blur, and changed instantly to a large rectangular room, which if possible felt even more ancient than the hallway._

_The dizziness the shift caused was quickly swept aside as Fleur forced her mind into analytical mode and quickly scanned the room. She noted a large round table in the middle of the room, with ten majestic seats spaced equally around the table. She could see the back of some of them; which showed sinister carved numbers on the back of each._

_Her eyes thought quickly caught the one person in the room besides her._

_When blue eyes met blue eyes her breath was taken away._

_Sitting in front of her was what Fleur herself defined as the very epitome of perfection of physical beauty, though only the face of the person was visible, as the rest of the body was shrouded in what looked like a heavy woolen cloak._

_The face of the woman in front of her, was deeply tanned, giving her a very exotic look, however it was probably her least prominent feature. Her high cheekbones and delicate jaw lent a very aristocratic air to the woman in front of her. Her lips resembled Fleur's own to a certain degree; they were rosy colored and slightly pouty which rendered an indescribable sexiness to the woman in front of her. Above this was a delicate, almost frail looking nose which, though incredibly beautiful in and of itself, only served the purpose of drawing a person's eyes higher._

_When Fleur locked eyes with the woman she almost gasped._

_The electric blue that met her own were so intense and expressive that Fleur almost felt like a child trapped in that gaze. They almost seemed luminous as they stared into what felt like her soul for an indeterminable period of time._

_She idly noted that her face was framed by silky looking blonde hair so light in color that it almost matched her own silvery blonde hair. It stretched down to just past her shoulders, with a few stray locks lying down the front of her body._

_The woman absentmindedly swept the locks back over her shoulder._

_It was only Fleur's own confidence in her own looks that kept her from quailing beneath the stare of this goddess made flesh, who was staring straight at her with inscrutable eyes. The feeling of being weighed had never been more tangible than it was now._

_Fleur's mind felt blank, and she was unable to put words to the hundreds of questions that was milling around in her head._

_The woman suddenly gestured to a majestic seat which left just one seat between them. The gesture itself was sensuous in every sense of the word and it didn't look rehearsed in any way, it just seemed to be the way her arms moved, however Fleur was sure it was one of the single most sexual movements she had ever seen a woman perform._

"_Why don't you take a seat," she said in a feminine voice which seemed to fit perfectly in with the total package._

_Fleur felt her body move on auto-pilot and sat down in the appointed chair, in which, she offhandedly noted, was carved the number 10._

_The woman smiled congenially at Fleur, and she recognized it as an attempt to put her at ease._

"_It should be more comfortable for us to talk like this," the older beauty explained, and this time Fleur noticed a rich accent in her voice, though she had no idea from where it came from. "And I'm quite sure you have a lot of questions."_

_Fleur sat still, simply staring at the woman, attempting to figure out whether or not this was a dream._

"_Well," the woman said with small laugh. "Ask away, we do have limited time here, and I would like to get some real sleep tonight."_

"_So this _is_ a dream," Fleur said, and was inwardly surprised at how much more confident she sounded as opposed to how she felt._

_The woman frowned briefly. "It is, yet it isn't. This is both a dream and something else, something very much real. It is hard to explain, and the entire subject will probably take more than a few hours to cover substantially enough for you to dimly grasp what this," she said and waved at the room around them. "is. The easiest way to put it is that this is a state of dreaming before the actual state of dreaming."_

"_It doesn't sound that complicated to be honest", Fleur said, though it was still in that level, confident tone._

_The woman laughed daintily. "It's complicated beyond both yours and my understanding. Suffice it to say that this realm is not really bound by the laws of the physical or the magical world. Almost anything is possible in here."_

_She waved her arm again and out of nowhere popped a weird one-horned creature, easily the size of half the table. It had scales all over the body except for irregularly placed patches of sparse fur. Its beady eyes stared confusedly around the room, and Fleur could hear the heavy panting of the slightly terrified beast._

_Fleur's posture became more rigid upon seeing the somewhat horrifying creature appear out of nowhere, and she felt a trickle of apprehension at the sight._

_It seemed that the strange woman noticed this as she reassured her._

"_Don't worry, it's doesn't even know we are here, and besides, I can make it disappear as quickly as I made it appear," she explained and snapped her fingers, causing the beast to disappear again._

"_What was that thing?" Fleur asked, the sliver of revulsion noticeable in her voice only showing the merest part of her disgust._

_The woman waved off her question. "It is a very rare beast in the world nowadays. Its old name was Belligondras Darriode, but I believe it goes by many names in the present time, the most weird one being Crumple-Horned Snorkack."_

_Fleur shook of the wonderment she felt in favor of getting answers to her real questions._

"_Who are you?" Fleur inquired seriously._

_The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you. We are not allowed to know the identity of each other."_

"_What do you mean 'we'? And why can't you tell me?" she demanded._

"We_ are what you would call a very old order," the woman explained vaguely. "The world doesn't know of us, and we intend to keep it that way. As for your second question; the reason I cannot tell you is because I am not allowed to."_

_Fleur huffed. "Then what _can_ you tell me?"_

"_Not much I'm afraid," the woman answered with a sigh. "But we must move on to the real reason I have brought you here."_

_The woman sat you straighter and took on a more imposing demeanor._

"_I am sure you have become aware of certain changes you have been going through with in the last week or so, am I correct?" the woman asked with a quiet authority in her voice._

_Fleur stiffened and immediately felt more ill at ease._

_Harry had been the only one besides her to know about her _condition_, and she really doubted he was the one who had told her._

_The question then was; how did she know?_

"_I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Fleur lied smoothly. "I have noticed nothing amiss."_

"_Don't lie to me," the woman said impatiently, with a disapproving frown on her face. "I _know_ you've experienced something unusual recently, just like I _know_ that you're confused as to why your powers have grown to such remarkable degree. So why don't you just tell me exactly _what's_ happened to you so far?"_

_A lesser person might have buckled beneath her stare, but Fleur kept her head high, refusing to let the woman think she was better than her._

"_Suppose something has happened," Fleur said after a tense moment. "What exactly would it be?"_

"_What happens is that a Veela, such as yourself, would be under extreme emotional duress, it could be in a situation where your own life, or the life of a loved one is in mortal danger, and you feel completely helpless," the woman explained while keep full eye contact with Fleur._

"_This probably triggered an extreme emotional response in you, which caused certain natural barriers within your Veela core to deteriorate at a rapid pace," the woman then narrowed her eyes at Fleur. "And I would be correct in assuming that you found that your power was capable of things you would never have imagined, am I right?"_

_Fleur nodded stiffly. "Hypothetically speaking, that is very plausible."_

_The woman nodded to herself. "That is what I thought."_

"_But that still doesn't explain why you brought me here. Nothing you've told me really concerns my own theoretical condition," Fleur said, sounding a good deal calmer than she felt._

"_Of course it does, you just don't know _how_ it fits in with it yet," the woman said exasperatedly. "What I am here for is to train you in your new powers. I am to make certain that you can control it to the degree that you won't hurt yourself or somehow expose the rest of us."_

_It was at that moment that realization dawned on Fleur, and she suddenly looked at the woman in a completely different light._

"_You are the same as me; it happened to you as well," Fleur stated, opting to forego pretenses._

"_Yes I am," the beauty affirmed. "It however happened long before you were even born."_

_Fleur was startled at that. "You hardly look a day over twenty."_

_The woman laughed silkily then, with the sleeve of the robe held in front of her mouth. "I appreciate the compliment," she said with a sparkle in her eyes. "But as you will also come to understand in time; age means nothing to people such as us. It is but a number affixed to that which will become ageless."_

"_Are you saying you are immortal?" Fleur asked, then swallowed at the implications. "Are you saying that _I_ am immortal?"_

_The woman laughed then, a rich full laugh. "Oh dear, no you're not immortal in the conventional sense. You can still die the same as every other person. A rock can kill you as easily as it can kill a muggle. The same applies to the Killing Curse for that matter."_

_The woman shook her head in amusement. "No we are not immortal in the conventional manner. Our immortality lies in supposedly eternal longevity."_

"'_Supposedly'?" Fleur asked in confusion._

"_Well, of obvious reasons we don't know if it truly is eternal longevity, or simply _very_ long life," the woman said with a bright smile. "But the general consensus is that all clues points to it being eternal."_

"_As interesting that might be, that doesn't explain why you would need to train me," Fleur said, suspicious at the offer. "After all, relearning how to create and control the Veela Fire and the Allure might take time and be difficult, but I should be more than capable of doing that by myself."_

_The woman laughed again, and genuine amusement could be seen in her eyes. "You don't honestly think that is the limit of your redefined Veela abilities, do you?"_

_Fleur remained stoic, though thoughts were now buzzing around her head again. She had honestly thought her abilities had just been amplified, but it seemed she had been wrong in her assumption._

"_Well that is no good," the older woman said with pretty frown. "Let's just say that your abilities stretch further than you could ever imagine; from shape shifting, to true flying without brooms or any other tool."_

"_You mean we become metamorphs?" Fleur inquired in amazement._

"_Heavens no, a metamorph is both better and worse than our abilities," the woman said with the roll of her eyes._

"_How so?"_

"_You see, where a metamorph can with enough training and control actually shift their own form to that of an animal, we cannot, it is simply just not part of our magical makeup," the woman explained._

"_Then how can our abilities at the same time be better?" Fleur asked in general confusion._

"_That is where our abilities surpass those of a metamorph," the woman said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Where a metamorph needs to have seen the subject or part of the subject to change their body accordingly, we do not have any such restrictions. We can freely change any part of our body with enough training."_

_As if to emphasize her claim, her facial structure suddenly changed. The skin lost its tanned glow and her eyes growing a deep green, before reverting back to their original features._

"_This is a lot to take in," Fleur said after a short silence._

_The woman reclined her head in acquiescence. "I understand. I suggest we talk further in a few days' time. Hopefully by then you will also have come to a decision regarding coming under my tutelage."_

"_How will I contact you?" Fleur asked._

"_Do not worry yourself over such things yet. In two days I will again approach you in your sleep," the woman stood up then, for the first time during their entire meeting. "Until then I wish you a good time."_

_Before Fleur could ask anything more, the woman had disappeared and the room blurred intensely._

Dream -

Fleur woke up again briefly before, falling into a restful sleep. Her dreams revolved around a million mysteries with no obvious solutions and an eternal chase after luminescent green eyes.

DB -

The flames were arching high in the fireplace, and cast the room in shadows.

It illuminated the intriguingly furnished living room. It was clearly dominated by a woman's way of decorating, though it never went as far to be girly, but simply retained a classy feel. At the same time, it had a homely feel to it.

It was a representation of the rest of the small house as well. It was the picture-perfect house, but being inside it felt so hollow.

Penelope sat in the comfortable armchair, with a small cup of brandy sitting on the small table beside the chair, with the still open bottle of brandy beside it.

She was just staring blankly into the flickering flames.

She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, she just knew that when she sat down there had still been light streaming in through the window. By now the room was completely coated in darkness except for the illumination the flames in the fireplace provided.

The room felt cold despite the fireplace, but somehow she felt completely numb to it, befitting her current thoughts perfectly.

In the next room over dinner was on the table, and had been for several hours now. But it remained untouched, and just lay there cold now, as cold as this room felt.

She shouldn't have been surprised at the situation; it was too like the general tendency of their household now. It was normal for her to sit home alone, while Percy became even more engrossed in his work.

She would fix dinner for her and Percy after getting home, only for it to sit and become cold long before Percy ever floo'ed in. It was only in the last couple of weeks that she had begun breaking out the brandy.

It was a means to an end, a way for her to drown out the miserable thoughts in her head It had a way of pushing the numbness away, replacing the cold with a flickering warmness, which had to be replenished often.

Tonight was no different from any other night, except that it was the last night that she would see Percy for a couple of days, so she had prepared a great meal, and had set the mood with candles which were by now burnt down.

She had known for a long time that they were not in an ideal place in their relationship, though she seemed to be the only one who could see it. Percy was too absorbed in his job to notice much else, and it was also the only thing he talked about when he _was_ home.

"If I was a piece of a new legislation he'd probably pay more attention to me," she mumbled to herself with a bitter laugh.

She snatched up the small cup of brandy and poured it down her gullet, enjoying the burning feeling it left in its wake.

It had only been a couple of days since she had been out on the town with Elle and her boyfriend, and her own naturally missing. Despite knowing how she would feel about going out with Elle that night, she had still done it, and she had tried putting on smile the entire night, and at some point during the night it had become genuine.

She had been thinking about how her life had been steadily moving forward, especially with this amazing new chance to cover the Tri-Wizard tournament, and she fondly noted all the appreciative stares sent in her direction. It felt like years since Percy had last looked at her like that, and she couldn't help but appreciate the attention.

She had had the best time in ages, but all good things had to come to an end. By the end of their night, when she had returned home, she had found Percy sleeping soundly in their bed, and it had brought back all her frustrations and misery at the direction their relationship had been going.

It was Sunday now, and tomorrow morning she would be travelling to Hogwarts to cover the Tri-Wizard tournament, and she suspected she would be spending a good deal of time in between the tasks with interviewing the contestants.

So she wouldn't actually see much of Percy at all for the next many months if they didn't somehow work their schedules together.

She sighed and poured a new shot of brandy in the cup which she instantly downed. If nothing else, it would at least help her fall asleep tonight without spending too much time thinking about how her life was now.

She put the lid back on the brandy and stashed it away at the back of the cupboard in the kitchen again, the same place she had been hiding it and several of its previous companions the last couple of weeks.

With a swish of her cherry wood wand, the table in the dining room cleared, and an assortment of dishes and utensils flew into the kitchen, and straight into the sink only to begin cleaning themselves.

It was at this point that she heard the tell-tale sound of someone floo'ing in, and Penelope plastered a fake smile on, just as Percy walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, there's no food left, I just got rid of the last," she informed him.

"No problem dear," Percy responded. "I got something to eat at work."

"Oh, that's good I guess," Penelope said resignedly. "Listen Percy, I've gotten assigned a big story that could mean the breakthrough story I've been looking for."

"Congratulations Penny," Percy said and hugged her briefly, followed by a brief kiss on the cheek, before he sat down at the kitchen table and began riffling through papers he'd taken out of his briefcase. "That's great."

"So I would have to be gone for a great deal of time the next couple of months," she explained. "And I was wondering if perhaps we could pencil some time in for both of us."

"You know I can't change my schedule," Percy said with back to her. "We're heading into some busy hours in the ministry the next couple of months as well, so I'll be pretty tied up."

"We won't see each other at all if we don't…," Penelope began, only to be interrupted by Percy.

"Penny can't this wait till tomorrow, I'm really quite tired right now," he responded and got up to head towards the bedroom. "We'll talk in the morning."

When he was out of sight, she crumbled down in a chair at the table and sunk her head into her hands and cried silent tears until no more would come.

It was hours before she finally crawled into bed next to Percy, and when she was woke up the following morning, he had already left for work.

DB -

She had been lying in wait outside the library for a couple of hours now, just waiting for the right person to leave. So far she had avoided the detection of all leaving, but she was fairly confident that by now, there was only two other persons besides her target in there.

One of them would remain for many hours yet, for that was just the nature of Ms. Pince, as she spent at least a couple of hours every day after closing hours to sort the books out again and put them back where they belonged.

Daphne had always perceived the spinster librarian as mildly neurotic at best.

However it was the other that was the wild card.

Despite all the derogatory terms that might apply, nosy being the mildest, Granger did have a tendency to cause trouble for people she was suspicious of, and she had a knack of being perceptive.

The problem was that it seemed that her target was there because he had, unbelievably enough, a crush on the bossy mudblood, and if he, as he had done so far, spent all his time in the library because of her, it was unrealistic to believe that he would leave before she did.

But regardless, she would get her chance soon enough, the ever-approaching curfew would ensure that both would be leaving the library soon enough, and from then it would be a simple matter to follow him.

Daphne had been loaned her Master's Invisbility Cloak, which was why this task had basically just become a task of 'hide'n'wait' so to say. It was just a matter of time, and she had almost come to a decision as to how she would accomplish her task.

Though admittedly not her strongest skill, she was passing decent in Legilimency, and coupled with her proficiency in Memory charms she was certain she could achieve her goal.

As if on cue the library door opened and a somewhat weary looking Granger bustled out, with a couple of rolls of parchment under her arm and moved towards the Gryffindor tower, and sure enough as if to verify her claim the final student walked sluggishly out of the library.

Her target; Victor Krum.

She followed him quietly down the halls, till they reached the more deserted corridors, and a quiet 'Stupefy' later at close range brought the Durmstrang champion down.

A quick Levitation charm had him floating through the door to an unused classroom, where he was placed on a chair.

She secured the room with various privacy charms, and made sure to magically lock the door, as it would not do to suddenly have someone stumble into the room by accident. Briefly the room was colored in many different lights as the spells took hold.

When she was satisfied the room was sufficiently spelled, she turned back to her victim of the hour.

A fleeting thought, which seemed well grounded in reason, caused her to utter her next spell.

She pointed her wand at the unconscious boy and muttered a quiet 'Incarcerous', causing long conjured ropes to shot forth and wrap his frame tightly to the chair.

An 'Innervate' later and Victor eyes shot open immediately searching his vicinity, and quickly locked his eyes on her.

"Who are you? Why am I tied?" he asked, in his strongly accented Bulgarian dialect.

"Tch tch," she said condescendingly. "You should know better than to ask such questions, you are after all a Tri-Wizard Champion, or is this simply the best Durmstrang had to offer?"

"Why am I tied up here?" he reiterated through slightly gritted teeth.

"Someone has a use for you, but there is a slight problem," Daphne said. "You would not willingly cooperate, so I have been allowed to 'induce' the correct behavior and compliance in you."

Victor set his jaw stubbornly, but Daphne could see his eyes darting around in search of an escape route.

She sighed internally at not being able to toy with him, but her Master's orders had been very specific. She was only to make him report any progress between the tasks, not in any way hinder his own performance.

She caught his eyes with her own and trained her wand at him.

She let her own consciousness partially slip into the boy before him, only for her delicate attempt to be rebuffed.

The shock of finding him capable of defending his mind was more the reason behind her withdrawal from his mind than any defense he erected, which she suspected were not much of a defense at all.

He sat panting in front of her, but with his eyes still locked onto her own.

"I didn't expect you to even know how to protect your mind," she chirped. "But that just means I get to play with you after all. You are welcome to cry for help if you want."

He managed to answer between pants. "Would it even… help?"

"Not really, but you might not be capable of stopping yourself when I get going," she said matter-of-factly. "I still lack the subtlety of a true master of the art of Legilimency."

She fingered her wand delightfully and she again trained it on him, and this time struck with the strength of a battering ram, tearing through all his defenses like they were not even there and brutally putting down any he attempted to marshal in order to get her back out.

Her work was slow and tedious, and she spent many hours, building up new memories from scratch and rewriting other subtly to make it seem plausible. But the problem of achieving what she was attempting was that it needed reinforcement, so after one bout of memory correction or deletion if needed, she drove straight back into his now chaotic mind to fit all the pieces together.

All throughout the ordeal he screamed till he lost his voice, and only occasional spasms wracked his body.

By the time she was certain her conditioning and rewriting of certain parts of his memory were complete she herself was exhausted, both magically and physically.

In no time at all she had him Obliviate'd to believe he'd come into this room alone in his rage over not working up enough courage to ask Granger out, and he'd screamed himself hoarse in self-loathing, it had become so late that he had actually fallen asleep at one of the tables in the room.

She banished the charms she had put up before, and threw the Invisibility Cloak over her shoulders again, before quietly making her way back to her sleeping Master.

The eerie quiet of the hallways were interrupted by what sounded as footsteps, though Daphne simply dismissed it as someone out after curfew, and she couldn't well blame them when she herself were in the same situation.

However, just as she was reaching the staircase she heard the quiet on this floor broken suddenly by a terrified scream, but the only thing she managed to discern before it was cut off was that it was not far from her position.

She weighed her option in her mind quickly before making her decision.

Whatever was happening would probably demand her rather 'aggressive' attention to solve if what she heard was correct, but she was also fairly magically drained at the moment, however with the cloak she would have the element of surprise and that would probably be enough to settle the matter in her favor.

Of course, that is if the matter required settling.

With swift steps belying her current state she quietly headed back down the corridor from which she had heard the scream. Searching for what she knew would be there somewhere.

At first she heard nothing but the eerie silence, but soon enough it was broken by the distinctive sound of a slap resounding through a door on her right, following by a gasp and a sob.

"Please don't do this," whimpered a small voice.

Daphne glanced through the small crack left by the open door, though nothing could be seen.

"Begging won't help you," a deep voice answered maliciously.

"People will know," the small voice held an edge of panic.

Daphne carefully opened the door and slipped inside as the answering laugh reverberated in the room.

The room was a small classroom, which seemed to have not been used for decades as evidenced by the dust resting on the tables and the floor.

However what held her immediate attention were the occupants of the room, one of which almost shocked her into a stupor.

In front of her were two people; a boy and a girl, only one of which she knew, but only by reputation. The boy seemed a bit older than the girl, and he had the girl pinned effectively to the table, while he himself was standing between her spread legs, though nothing had happened yet of the more physical kind as proven by the clothes still remaining on both of them.

The girl in front of her seemed to be about Daphne's age or perhaps a little bit older. She had brown hair, settling just above her shoulders, framing a pretty face, which was even now stained with tears. Her brown eyes also were red from crying and Daphne could easily see the terror in them.

However her attention immediately settled on Daniel Crawling, the seventh year Ravenclaw Headboy.

"Truly, who would believe you over me," he remarked with a condescending laugh. "Daniel Crawlings Headboy or confused little Hufflepuff, Emily Grellick with a well-known crush on said Headboy."

The sobs of the girl only increased in intensity. "There are wa-ways it can be proven."

"Would you really go so far?" Daniel asked rather seriously, and Daphne moved around so she could see the expression on his face, which were surprisingly calculating. He held his wand loosely in one hand. "If that is the case I will just have to make sure you _can't_ tell anyone, and I know a lot of places in this castle where no one ever goes."

This caused the girl in question to stop struggling completely, seemingly frozen in fear.

Daphne silently raised her wand under the cloak, and held just the tip out of the cloak, and silently moved closer while the Headboy shuffled with his own pants, seemingly trying to draw down the zipper, while the girl just remained frozen in fear.

She took careful aim, and while doing a small upwards arch followed by a downward stab she intoned the incantation.

"'_Parvoscindo_'," Daphne muttered, and watched as a small slim blade of very light green energy exploded out of her wand and quickly pass over the throat of the attacking boy. He stopped his current ministrations and his hands flew with wide eyes to his throat in an attempt to hold in the massive amount of blood which suddenly seemed to explode out of a delicate but clean cut on his throat. His wand clattered uselessly to the floor, as he tried to stem the flow of blood, which was all but impossible.

Daphne took a perverse delight in seeing the Headboy fall to one of her spells, and a small flush spread throughout her body as she shivered in pleasure.

She was completely intoxicated by the ability to end his life, and she was certain if given a chance to do it over she would do the same in heartbeat; just to hear the rattling gurgle of his death.

She was drawn out of her reverie by the sudden scream of the girl who was no longer so passive, and who had falling down from the table and curling in on herself. Her entire front was covered in the dying Headboy's blood, and she would have looked frightening if it was for the sheer terror in her eyes.

"Be quiet girl," Daphne snapped and pulled off the cloak to reveal who she was, and quickly stepped up to the girl and briefly scanned her up and down, which revealed nothing but a red cheek from where she had received the slap earlier.

She looked the girl in the eyes. "Did he hurt you other than the slap?"

Suddenly the girl broke down into sobs again, and flung herself into Daphne, burying her face in her midriff. She shamelessly cried, and Daphne only awkwardly patted the girl on her shoulder.

Her eyes looked back over to Daniel Crawlings only to see him staring at her with pure hate, while reaching for his wand with the one hand that one wasn't trying to stem the flow of blood.

She made a long downward slash her wand and muttered '_Trunca Lacer_', causing a piercing grey light to emanate from her wand and hit the hand that was stretching for the wand. She couldn't stop herself from gasping and feeling faint shortly and the headache that had been announcing its imminent arrival since her session with Krum now arrived in full force.

She had been using way too much energy tonight, and she was feeling the effects now. But seeing the curse hit the outstretched hand made the feelings completely worth it to see his hand be mutilated beyond recognition.

She felt such a surge of perverse bliss at seeing the life in his eyes go out that she almost moaned, and she just only managed to hold it in.

However the girl, although crying less now, had remained oblivious to the proceedings, and Daphne wasn't sure how the distraught girl would react to seeing the still expanding puddle of blood on the floor and the mangled body of the now dead Headboy.

She gently pried the girl from around her and tilted her face upwards, to once again look into her eyes. "I will not ask again. Did he hurt you?"

The girl quickly shook her head in the negative. "Nothing but the slap, no."

Daphne looked at her. "He is dead, you know."

The girl trembled a bit, but otherwise showed no physical reaction. "I know," she said quietly.

"He would have killed you if I hadn't done it," Daphne said, examining her carefully. Her reaction would be crucial, as Daphne doubted she would be capable of anything to energy-costly right now.

"I know," the girl said quietly but lowered her eyes to the ground.

Daphne was getting a bit tired.

"Get me a chair," Daphne sighed in exhaustion.

She was briefly surprised at the instant reaction she got from the girl, who scrambled to the task, but she figured it was just because the girl was in a sort of suspended shock or something similar, where she would rather follow orders than do anything too mentally challenging.

The girl quickly placed a chair behind Daphne who slumped in the chair, with a now satisfied sigh as she took in the scene, before gazing back at the girl with cool grey eyes.

"I assume you know the 'Scourgify' spell, right?" Daphne inquired, as she would need help to cover up this mess, as she herself was terribly drained.

"Yes I do," the girl responded immediately. "You want me to use it on… on him?"

Daphne snorted. "You can't just 'Scourgify' a body away, but I would like you to transform it to chair or a desk or something," she explained. "But use the 'Scourgify' to remove the blood afterwards."

The blush was hard to see for all the blood covering the girl's face, but it was there nonetheless, and she covered it by turning to the body for the first time since his helpless death.

Daphne heard the girls sharp intake of breath, but was pleasantly surprised to see the girl waving a, until now unseen, wand around in small patterns. Soon the body was almost completely similar to the other desks in the room, except for the missing layer of dust and the blood quickly vanished as well.

When the girl turned back around, Daphne could see the tear trails running down her cheeks, as that was where the blood was partially washed away, but the expectant look in the girl's eyes was almost palpable.

"Well done," Daphne said. "'_Scourgify_' a few of the others tables so that particular one doesn't stand out, and please put a glamour on or something so people won't know if we happen upon them."

As soon as she was done Daphne hoisted herself up from the chair and briefly let her eyes scan over the room in search of any revealing evidence, but was satisfied that it wouldn't be discovered too easily if at all.

"Follow me," Daphne said when she was satisfied with everything.

The girl followed Daphne like a lost puppy, never once questioning her about any of the decisions she had made.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked in a small voice, as if she was almost afraid of angering Daphne.

"To my Master's chambers," Daphne responded wearily, glad that they no longer had to hide their relationship.

"M-Master?" the girl enquired after faltering briefly.

"Yes, my Master, girl," Daphne retorted wearily, but with annoyance. She was too tired to even care what the girl was even called. "I am a servant. I should hope that doesn't bother you."

Daphne had put a certain edge in her words, and the Hufflepuff was silent after that, and simply followed her.

It seemed like hours to Daphne before she found herself on the third floor in front of the unremarkable door that was the entrance to her Master's chambers.

"Tall tales," Daphne said with a yawn, and with a delighted sigh she felt the presence of her Master, or rather the Allure of her Master, and with a delighted smile on her weary face she passed through the doorway followed by the quiet Hufflepuff.

One thought still passed through her mind as she entered.

She had taken a life.

She had killed and it was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

DB -

Harry had been more suspicious of others around him of late.

This had led him to carefully re-examine many aspects of his life, and one of the realizations he had come to was, granted, very peculiar.

He would expect that a person with his moniker and fame would inevitably receive some sort of attention from the public besides the occasional newspaper article, as in the occasional fan-mail or something of the kind, but in all the years he had been a part of the Wizarding Community he had never so much as received one.

He could understand how it would be difficult for it to reach him when he had been living with the Dursley's, as people generally hadn't seemed to think he would live with muggles and that understandably also meant that he would never been expected to actually live and be part of the muggle-world, without knowledge of the magical world. There was also the possibility that Dumbledore had placed some sort of charm on his Aunt's home, or somehow on him, that made it impossible for fan mail to reach him.

However, Dumbledore didn't seem to be the type to tie such a charm to a person, and it would inevitable have to be very complex for it to only sort out the fan-mail.

It stood to reason that his problem actually lay in a charm somehow interfering with his receiving of mail, at home, and Dumbledore was well within his rights to assert such authority in his own school, but he doubted he was the type to cast such a charm on his home.

Which meant that he was all in all, very confused as to the lack of fan-mail and he wondered if the Wizarding World in general had just given up on sending it as no such mail had been answered the first eleven years.

He sighed, and leaned back heavily in his couch, while staring into the fire in the hearth.

He realized the value of the concept, and though he would doubtlessly have to sort through throngs of useless drivel, it was also a hidden gold-mine. If they were zealous enough to actually send fan-mail, they could possibly prove useful later on, and there also was the far-off possibility of a treasure being buried in the midst of the mindless crowds.

The alliances he could forge with him as the dominant partner might be quite lucrative, all he had to do was somehow set in motion the fan-mail wheels somehow, and he was sure Daphne knew of a way to go about that.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by an insistent pecking on his window, and he looked up to the distinctive outline of an owl behind the window.

He wearily picked himself up off the _extremely_ comfortably sofa to let the, now distinctly brown, owl flutter into the room and settle on his arm, where Harry quickly removed the letter tied to the leg before it took off again into the night without another glance at him.

He glanced at the letter in his hand briefly before tossing it on the table, and lying down on the comfortable sofa again with a sigh.

There wasn't any real reason for him to still be awake, as he was fairly certain that he was tired enough to fall asleep instantly if he allowed it to creep up on him unawares, and that is what had prompted his thoughts on the path they had been on earlier.

The reason was that Daphne had commented that she would initiate her plan with Krum today, and he was a smidgen anxious to know how it had gone over.

"Hopefully she'll be back soon," he muttered to himself.

Almost as if on cue he heard the portrait swing open.

He was a bit surprised to see two people standing in his entry-way when he sat up and glanced over.

Daphne he easily recognized, though he was a bit surprised at how worn out she looked, and he sensed that she was easily as tired as him, if not more.

The second person, though, he didn't recognize, and she looked very normal, at least compared to Daphne or the other women he had been surrounded by as of late.

The brunette's jaw dropped instantly upon seeing him, and she simply stood stock still as if paralyzed just inside the doorway. He could see disbelief written all over her face, and he could feel the numb shock permeating her many feelings.

He immediately turned hard eyes on Daphne. "Who is she?" he demanded in a emotionless tone "And why did you bring her here?"

The peaceful look that had been spread over Daphne's face immediately evaporated and he could see the fear of his displeasure and disappointment in her eyes.

"I don't know who she is Master," Daphne said in an unnaturally vulnerable voice. "I didn't think to ask, but I didn't bring her without due reason Master. She was almost raped, and would have been killed."

"Why would that matter to me Daphne?" Harry said, in so cold a tone that it even surprised himself. "I could care less for what happens to the fools in this school, and you know that. I'm sure this girl was part the group to publically mock me in the school halls, so why should I care about what happens to her."

Harry saw the girl lower her head in what appeared to be shame, and he knew he had her pegged correctly.

He didn't feel like discussing this with an audience, and therefore he directed his next statement to the girl.

"What is your name?" he asked impatiently.

She carefully looked back up at him. "Emily Grellick," she answered in a subdued tone.

"Well Emily, I'm sure you're rather tired by now, so I suggest you get some sleep in one of the guestrooms," he said, and pointed to a door just inside the hallway leading to the master bedroom. "I'm sure you will find it to your liking. I hope you will sleep well and hopefully we can discuss the situation in the morning."

Emily took it as the dismissal it was, and quickly scurried away to the appointed room, as if aching to be out of his sight.

When Harry was satisfied there was enough privacy to continue the conversation he turned back to Daphne.

"I hope you've got a very good reason for bringing her back here," he said with a hint of edge in his voice.

"I do Master," Daphne hastened to reply. "I didn't bring her because of who she was, but rather who her assailant was."

"Well," Harry pressed impatiently. "Who was he?"

"It was Daniel Crawlings, Master," she hurriedly supplied.

That gave him pause for a second, the time it took for him to digest the news of the Headboy getting caught in such an act, and that second also managed to significantly cool his anger.

"How did he react when you stopped him?" Harry asked, inquisitiveness taking hold of him.

Daphne fidgeted slightly, but he felt a surge of pride and euphoria make its presence known in her knot of emotions.

"Not well, I am afraid," Daphne replied. "But that is because he didn't have the time to react."

Harry's bespectacled eyes narrowed, not in anger, but more foreboding. "What do you mean?"

"I killed him Master," Daphne clarified. "With a Cutting Curse."

He sighed and plopped down in the chintz armchair. "This has potential to turn ugly," he muttered.

"I suspect it does Master," Daphne agreed calmly. "But not for you, nor I, nor Emily."

He glanced up at her, demanding an explanation through the sheer force of his stare alone.

"I made sure to clean the site and dispose of his body," she explained. "Odds are that they will soon launch a quiet investigation into his disappearance, but they will find nothing to incriminate neither you nor me."

"Are you completely sure of that?"

She nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, and should they stumble upon the room where his body is transfigured in time to search for magical signatures it is highly doubtful they would even pick mine up at all. I made sure Grellick did the cleanup in the room on her own, so as to leave a good residue of her own magical signature."

After an indefinite amount of time he relaxed back in the chair, and let out all the tenseness that had been building steadily inside him.

It just then struck him that he was looking a murderer in the eyes.

One who apparently took pride in killing, and felt no remorse for pinning the blame on someone else.

Briefly he shivered as he thought of them being enemies, and he was glad that she was bound so tightly to him that not even the _thought_ of betrayal could take root in her mind. He was finally beginning to see how dangerous she truly was.

"So in the event of things suddenly going downhill, we pin it all on Emily?" he asked for clarification, to see the proof of the remorselessness he knew she harbored.

"Indeed," she confirmed, before a frown overtook her features. "Unless you wish me to do something different."

"No, that will not be necessary," Harry responded and waved away her concerns, but caught her eyes in an intense stare.

"You did well tonight," Harry praised her. "Your way of cleaning up the mess was rather ingenious; though I'd rather you not even get involved in such things at all. Because I meant what I said before, I could honestly have cared less what happened to her."

"Understood," Daphne acknowledged. "I will strive to remember and do better."

He opened his arms in a comforting manner and Daphne crashed into him and burrowed her head into his shirt. He returned her hug and stroked her hair with a smile playing on his lips.

"I know you will Daph," Harry said quietly. "But what about Emily, have you given that situation any thought?"

Harry was not surprised to feel her nod against his shirt, and she drew back slightly to make herself more comfortable in his lap, and he certainly found the delightful wriggling of her rump in his lap pleasant.

"I'm quite certain she owes me that much by now," Daphne explained. "And from what little I saw of her after the incident, she is, at least temporarily, in a state of shock I think, where she more or less does everything I tell her to."

"I assume that you intend to call in a life debt in the event of her ratting us out someday?"

Daphne nodded in the affirmative. "Though if nothing else I think I can intimidate her into compliance should it be necessary, she doesn't seem like the strongest of persons mentally, but I doubt it will get to that point. But either way, rest assured that I have the situation well in hand."

"Make sure you do Daph," Harry said forcefully. "I'd rather this not come back and bite us in the ass."

His forceful look morphed in a contemplative one. "Putting the matter aside for now, how did you do on the task I set you?"

"It is done," she said. "He will keep me informed of everything of note by owl, as per your instructions. I suspect we'll start seeing the fruits of it all in a couple of days."

"It's not likely to provide overly much in the way of information, but it might be useful nonetheless," he said offhandedly.

"You look tired," Harry commented quietly after Daphne had settled back into him again. "You should go get some rest, after all tomorrow is another day and probably a busy and trying one at that."

Daphne nodded, but her reluctance to make her body part with his was obvious, however eventually both her need to obey him and her need for rest overcame that as she soon stood in front of the chair he was sitting in, looking at him with an exhausted but content smile.

"Is there anything you need before I retire?"

"No, I don't need anything right now," he declined with a smile. "Now be off with you, and get some solid rest."

She acknowledged his command and was halfway to her own room before he halted her again.

"Oh, before I forget; regardless of what you do with Emily you should erase her memories of the invisibility cloak, understood?"

Daphne nodded, and changed her course to the recently occupied bedchamber.

"In the morning will do Daph," he interjected. "You need your rest for now."

He watched as the door to Daphne's own bedchamber closed quietly behind her and contemplated his newfound epiphanies about her.

It seemed every generation simply just had one person that was completely mental, murderously so. His parents had Bellatrix Lestrange, who was still alive today, and he had Daphne, the fourth year girl who apparently loved killing.

It wasn't that Daphne was insane that made her dangerous, it was that she was sane enough to hide her insanity and though he had seen and heard inklings of it in the time since she became his slave, it was different suddenly just being confronted by it.

The fact that he wasn't scared or even remotely wary of her of what she might do, proved that he might be just the slightest bit delusional himself, but he couldn't honestly care less. It felt wonderful being who he was now, being what he was had given him a taste of true freedom, one he had never tasted before, and it most certainly was something he would never again relinquish, regardless of the sacrifice he or the world would have to make.

He turned back to the fire again, looking into its flickering flames as a sigh left him.

"Things have just become much more complicated."

DB -

Fleur wandered through the halls, scarcely paying any attention to the students milling about around her, and for once they seemed to be less intent on her than usual, which she briefly noted in satisfaction.

The crowded hallways were filled with talk of Harry's performance yesterday, where he proved to the united students of three schools that he was a Parselmouth. Many people thought of the ability as a vile thing, due to the people associated with the skill before, though she was a bit surprised at how many people actually took it in stride, and though it certainly didn't improve his standing among the general student populace, it neither really seemed to sour them.

It seemed Harry had distanced himself so much from all the schools that they didn't really care much one way or another, though they still seemed to carry resentment for his unfair admittance into the tournament; or what they perceived as unfair. However, they all seemed exceedingly surprised at the revelation that the boy they had all shunned could speak to dragons, which everyone had believed impossible until the recent demonstration, and she could count herself among the group of shocked individuals.

However neither shock, awe nor, recent dreams taken into consideration, wariness could stop her from treading the path she had already set foot on.

Her entire life she had always felt incomplete, as if a she was lacking several integral pieces necessary for her to feel fulfilled and satiated. Throughout her life her accomplishments had always felt hollow, as if simply for show and so she had pushed herself further and further trying to grasp something intangible. This lead to a very limited number of acquaintances, of which none really were her friends, not of any fault of theirs, but because she couldn't feel any connection to them, not while this incompleteness was gnawing away inside of her.

This feeling of loneliness had been the driving force pushing her through her life, and it had brought her to where she was now, a participant of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and it was what brought her that much closer to feeling complete. It was in this place she had found something that filled that gap, and that was the presence of something never thought possible. The moment she had seen Harry she had known he was different, but it was when she was in the presence of him that she more complete than she had ever before.

It was the reason she had been so receptive to him, and now that she knew how complete she could feel, it was something she would never be able to live without again.

She was so caught up in her pondering that she before long found herself walking through the doors of the Great Hall and into the fray of bustling students. It was a something she had gotten used to during her time at Hogwarts, and so she could now more easily disregard the masses.

The moment she was seated at the Ravenclaw table she was accosted by a Beauxbaton student, one of those who were particularly insistent on having Fleur spend as much time as possible to solve the puzzle that the egg had presented her with.

"Have you figured the egg out yet?" the girl asked, her brown eyes focusing intently on Fleur.

She sighed and turned her attention to the girl. "I'm as far as I was the last time you asked," Fleur growled. "And you pestering me aren't going to make things go quicker".

"I know you have been spending a lot of time with Harry Potter recently," the girl persisted, undaunted by the rebuttal. "Maybe some of that time would be better spent focusing on the next task than falling for a boy three years younger than you."

The sting she would have certainly have felt just a couple of months earlier was nonexistent now and the only response the remark elicited was a condescending smile. "I suppose that would be true, but as it is now the deadline is still far off and as I've said before I'm confident that I will have it figured out before then, with time to spare. Therefore I see no reason why I can't spend some time with Harry. It's not as if I need your permission after all."

"The honor of our school is at stake here," the girl, a sneer adorning her face. "And while I have no idea why you were chosen as our Champion, I do know that your time should be focused on the tournament rather than a boy, regardless of how famous he is."

Fleur had been in a rather good mood when the day started, and not even the ever present reminder of her continual failure to grow more intimate with Harry, that Louise represented, had been unable to ruin her day. She was looking rather much forward to the day she and Harry would spend together, and when the girl had initially started the conversation it had not done any real thing to ruin her mood. But suggesting that she was only interested in Harry for the sake of his fame was a ridiculous and rage-evoking accusation.

She could however feel a bubbling cauldron of anger welling inside her, and she was itching to test out her new and improved Veela fire on the girl who has dared insinuate that she was only interested in Harry for his fame.

"How dare you even suggest something like that?" Fleur demanded in a clipped tone, while consciously keeping a tight rein on her anger. Though the need to strangle her and fry her alive was still very much present.

The girl was oblivious to the mounting explosion that she was confronting. "How can I not? You are exempted from normal classes for the sole purpose that you spend as much time as possible to figure out and prepare for the coming tasks. But what do you do? You spend so much time with Harry Potter that you hardly have time to prepare, and the rest of the time we find you perusing books and texts that are pointless and in no way associated with the task."

Fleur snorted in derision. "How can you possibly know that what I was reading wasn't to help me figure out what the egg does? For all you know I could be on the right track, and while you were trying to dissuade me from that path."

"You shouldn't be our Champion," the girl returned with heat. "There are many people that are more suited than you to be in that position."

Fleur laughed condescendingly. "Oh, is there now? Then do tell me why I was chosen instead of one of them, because we both know that the Tri-Wizard cup only choses those most suited to participate in the tournament."

The girl narrowed her eyes at Fleur. "Just remember that the reason we're even here in the first place is to participate in the tournament, and none of us wants to see you throw our chance of victory away because you were fawning over some celebrity."

"That is rich coming from you," Fleur responded with a malicious grin. "After all if I remember correctly I've seen staring at him like some lovesick puppy more than once these last couple of days."

It was true that, even at the very low level he had been exerting his Allure these last couple of days, girls were still practically drooling after him, a very strong contrast to how they would have behaved before his Veela powers suddenly exploded into existence. She knew that many of the people drifting around in the circumference of his life had only begun doing so because of the Allure he was exuding, and the girl now confronting her was simply one of many.

Fleur could see the apprehension in the girl, who now seemed very reluctant to meet her eyes. However, it seemed like there was still a spark of defiance left in the girl, or maybe it was just her honor refusing to walk away with her tail tucked between her legs. Regardless the girl just sniffed at her, and with a final parting remark telling her to act more like a Champion the girl went to sit further down the table.

She took a deep calming breath, to soothe her own temper.

This occurrence had become increasingly frequent after the first Task and as it was now she didn't see an end to it. While she in no way regretted the strange twists and turns her world had taken these last couple of days, she still found it incredibly annoying to be constantly confronted by these vapid people.

She had noticed a change in Harry that had taken place the time he came into his powers, and it was barely noticeable when put together with his recent new outlook on life. However, it was hard not to notice for her as she had spent more than enough time around him recently, and she had noticed changes that were too radical to simply reflect a view of life. He was much more assertive than any fourteen year old boy would ever be. She saw a sharpness in his and a glint of understanding in his eyes that was almost unnerving.

"You seem a bit preoccupied," a voice commented.

Whereas she might have been snappish with another interruption, she simply turned and greeted the person who had taken a seat next to her with a large smile.

"Harry," she greeted him. "I was just thinking about the Second Task."

"Ahh," Harry acknowledged, and shrugged. "I suppose I should be more focused on that than I am at the moment. But hey, we still have lots of time to figure it out yet, so I'm not going to work myself up over it."

"I know, besides I'm quite sure I will soon have the egg figured out."'

"Still not up for sharing I assume?" he asked with humor.

Fleur laughed. "No, I'm afraid I can't let you have that advantage. Besides you seem to be doing quite well on your own."

"I suppose I am," Harry grinned, and loaded a bit of food onto his plate which he immediately set out to demolish. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he had been starved the last couple of days.

She suspected it had something to do with him using such an excessive amount of his Veela powers, which she knew from experience exhausted him greatly. It still confounded her how using a natural extension of himself could be so physically taxing for him, so she allowed him to eat in relative peace.

"So," Harry began, after inhaling his breakfast. "I seem to remember a promise I made to you."

"Do you now?" she returned bemusedly. "I seem to remember quite a few promises already."

Harry simply grinned in return. "So do you think you're for the grand tour?"

"Of course I am. Who knows, after today I might even be able to find my way around the castle on my own," she replied and got to her feet, followed by Harry.

"You might, and if not, well then I'll happily volunteer my own services to help escort you about the castle," he kidded. "Within reason of course."

She followed Harry out of the Great Hall, which were rapidly filling with students of all schools, who only spared them the occasional ogling glance, which she had long ago become accustomed to. A quick glance at Harry showed that Harry himself really wasn't that bothered by it either.

"I suppose you know your way around the more regular parts of Hogwarts already, and it wouldn't be much fun for either of us," Harry said, as he led them down corridors and up stairways. "But hopefully we'll have a few interesting things here, that'll catch your interest."

"I'm sure you will," Fleur responded, and noticed the crowd of students they had been immersed within before were practically nonexistent now, and she decided to approach a subject that had managed to intrigue her more and more each time she thought about. "So, you're a Parselmouth?"

Harry turned to her, and wasn't met with the scowl she was half-expecting, but with a knowing smile. "Yes, no point in denying it. I hope you aren't one of the people who think Parselmouths are the very incarnation of evil."

"If I thought you were an evil dark wizard, would I be here right now?" she returned with a lilting laugh.

Harry shrugged, though his eyes were alight with humor. "I don't know. Would you? For all I know you might have a thing for bad boys, and a dark evil wizard certainly fit the description."

"Shouldn't you consider yourself lucky then?" Fleur returned with humor prevalent in her voice.

"I guess I should," Harry chuckled. "You know, you're one of the few people I've met who doesn't look differently at me after they learn I'm a Parselmouth."

It was Fleur's turn to shrug this time. "It carries a certain stigma in most societies, so it's not that unexpected that people would shy away from it. Besides, I didn't think you cared that much about what people thought about you or am I wrong?"

Harry turned down another corridor which just appeared as the walls shifted. "No, I would say you're spot on. But when it was first discovered I was a Parselmouth, I was only twelve years old and at the time feeling them looking at me like I was some sort of monster was a bit harder to deal with. Luckily it quickly died down again."

Fleur kept a careful watch on Harry for a few seconds, but he didn't seem at all that bothered by that anymore, as if it was strictly an event of the past now. Besides, it also tied in with some of what she had heard during his First Task, about him being able to talk to snakes and all the muttering that had been running rampant in the school in the immediate wake of his success against his dragon.

It was remarkable, and perhaps a bit intimidating, how mature he could be and still only be fourteen years. "It's a good thing you don't care about that anymore, because they're going to talk even more about it now that you've demonstrated the skill in front of three schools. Also, it's a skill that most people still fear because of its connections to evil wizards over the years, so odds are that it'll become very public very quickly."

"I know," he said and directed a smile at her. "But I honestly wouldn't do something like that without considering the consequences. Besides, between you and me, it's brought something good with it. After my second year I quickly learned that I couldn't just hope for the good in every person, and it also showed me which people in the school I probably could never stand. The events this year only served to reinforce this. Basically it's taught me to pick my friends carefully."

Fleur laughed at that, and she could see the incomprehension in Harry's eyes. "You're a bit cynical aren't you? But then again, from what I've seen since I've come here, I can't really blame you."

Harry laughed again. "I suppose I have become a bit cynical, but then again it's nothing you yourself can't relate to, right? From what I've heard you all but castrated the poor boy in public."

Fleur huffed, a seething anger at his disregard for Harry still burned inside her. "He deserved nothing less. The idiot somehow managed to indirectly insult you and ask me to the Yuletide Ball at the same time."

Harry looked askew at her for a few seconds, and Fleur felt small pools of heat suffuse her cheeks. She however quickly fought down the blush and returned his look with a smile.

"You know you don't have to defend me from the students, it'll probably only make it harder for yourself while you stay here," Harry reasoned. "Besides I don't care much for their opinion."

"I might not have to," Fleur responded. "But I can't just say nothing, at least not when they directly confront me about it."

"I'm really not very popular in this school right now, and I suspect if you weren't a Champion yourself you'd probably be hexed as a way to get to me. Some of the people here have no qualms doing something like that."

"I can take care of myself, you know," Fleur reminded him with a chuckle. "How else could I become a Champion, and you're changing the subject Mr. Cynical. Speaking of which; how do I fit in with your now very cautious admittance of friends."

This time his stare was significantly longer, and she could almost see the thoughts whirring in his mind.

"Honestly, I don't know," Harry said after a few seconds silence. "You were just suddenly there when I woke up in the Hospital Wing, and it felt nice to have some company, and well… I guess I sort of got used to your presence. You were fun to hang around with, and you have no idea how relieved I am that you were there when my powers suddenly came to."

Fleur knew he was fumbling a bit for the right words, but still it was the spirit of what he was saying that endeared him to her, and she knew it was not because of his Allure that she was feeling like did right now. She could feel it's presence at the comfortably low level that he normally used, and it didn't interfere with her reflections.

A tender smile lit up her face as she stared back at Harry.

"I'm glad I was there Harry," Fleur said, before figuring it was best to get their minds back on the original track of the grand tour of Hogwarts. "Where are we now?"

"We're on the second floor," Harry replied. "The place I'm going to show is very infamous here in Hogwarts, so I hope you can keep it a secret, and only very few people have ever seen it."

"Of course," she assured him, getting a bit excited at the prospect already. "What is it?"

"One of the founders of Hogwarts, named Slytherin, created a secret chamber here in Hogwarts," Harry explained.

"The Chamber of Secrets?" she enquired.

Harry looked at her a bit owlishly. "Yes, how do you know about that? I thought only Hogwarts students knew about that."

Fleur grinned. "Word travels fast when you find one of the Champions talking to dragons. I overheard a conversation during the event that mentioned the Chamber of Secrets, so I really don't know much about it."

Harry returned the grin. "Well, perhaps I can satisfy a bit of your curiosity. But honestly I don't know much about the place, only one person does, and he's not very inclined to sharing."

Harry walked through a door into a girl's bathroom, and Fleur followed along with an eyebrow half-raised in query.

"Harry, you do know this is the girl's restroom, right?" she asked bluntly.

He responded with a laugh. "Yes, I'm aware, however it's been abandoned for Merlin knows how long, and I very much doubt someone's going to break that tradition," he said, then lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in closer. "Especially not with the ghost that lives here."

Fleur only looked about the restroom, but kept her voice equally low. "What ghost?"

"We call her Moaning Myrtle, but call her that to her face, she doesn't take well to that, or strangers for that matter, so just keep your voice down," Harry implored her.

Fleur chose to heed his words, because while most ghosts were fairly harmless, most of them were exceedingly annoying, and a ghost named Moaning Myrtle certainly didn't bode well in that regard.

"Why have you come?"

The moaning voice startled Fleur slightly, and she spun around to spot the head of a girl poked up out of the loo, looking at her through beady eyes magnified by the glasses the ghost seemed to be wearing, which seemed fixed on Fleur.

"You are pretty like Olive Hornby," the ghost continued. "She bullied me until I ran in here to cry. I died that day."

"Eh," Fleur said, unable to find a proper response and she could hear Harry sigh beside her.

"Hello Myrtle," he greeted her. "How are you?"

"Oh, hello Harry," Myrtle said, and a slight giggle escaped the ghost. "You promised you would come visit me, but you never did."

"I'm sorry Myrtle," he responded, but Fleur could easily hear his exasperation. "I've just been extremely busy."

"No one has time for me," Myrtle moaned. "They lie and they bully and they make me cry."

With a drawn out moan Myrtle retreated back into the toilet from where she had come, leaving behind two relieved persons.

Fleur kept looking at where the ghost had disappeared with disbelief for a little while longer, before turning to Harry who was looking at her with a wide smile.

"Now, you know why nobody uses this bathroom restroom anymore," Harry chuckled.

"You weren't kidding," Fleur commented with a small degree of disbelief. "She really is quite annoying. No wonder people keep away from this place."

"Yea, and keep in mind, we apparently caught her on one of her better days," Harry replied.

"That's hard to imagine," Fleur said. "However, it begs the question; why are we here?"

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in here," Harry responded and crossed the restroom to stand in front of an inconspicuous sink. "Right here in fact."

Fleur wrinkled up her forehead in confusion. "It's just a sink Harry."

"That's what I thought originally as well," Harry responded, but kept his focus on the sink in front of him, and she saw him carefully tracing an engraving on the side of the tap.

She heard a low hissing and jumped back a bit startled, and was embarrassed to hear herself let out a slight 'eek' as the sink shifted and draw back into the wall to reveal a big entrance. Furthermore, the sound of him speaking Parseltongue sent shivers down her spine.

The entrance was bathed in pitch darkness, only slightly illuminated by the flickering lights in the restroom, affording her a view of only the most immediate part of the entrance. It was however enough to see that the entrance led into a wide chute.

"We can't go down there," Harry explained as he looked into the darkness. "And watch your step, it's a long way down, and I have no idea how to get up from there."

Fleur peered carefully into the pitch darkness. "I thought you'd been down there before?"

"I have," Harry conceded. "But let's just say; I had some help when it came to getting out of there."

"For the entrance to a legendary secret chamber it's not very awe-inspiring," Fleur observed and sniffed. "It actually smells a bit moldy."

"I guess it would by now," Harry chuckled. "There's a fifty foot Basilisk corpse down there, so it's bound to smell a bit."

"Are you telling me there was a Basilisk down there?" Fleur asked breathlessly at this new discovery. She was normally not so easy to impress, but being near such a legendary creature, not to mention dangerous, was thrilling despite the knowledge of it being dead.

"Yep, it's hard to imagine, but down there is this spacious chamber with a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin at the end," Harry explained. "This entrance might not be awe-inspiring, but believe the Chamber of Secrets itself is, in that creepy, sinister but still impressive way."

"Salazar Slytherin was one of the founders of this school, right?" Fleur asked. "And he made this chamber?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "Dumbledore told me Salazar made this place in secret, and none but he and his descendants would ever be able to find it."

"Does that mean that you're…," Fleur began, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"Not as far as I know," Harry replied. "From what I've been able to gather it was due to a side effect of Voldemort trying to kill me."

"What does he have to do with this?"

"As it turns out he was the descendant of Slytherin, and that also made him a Parselmouth," Harry informed Fleur. She couldn't help but be a bit amazed at knowing that the most infamous, deceased, Dark Lord of this age had been a descendant of someone so famous, but it made sense in a macabre way when paired with the public knowledge of him being a Parselmouth as well.

"Did Voldemort ever find this place?" Fleur asked, eyes a bit wider at the implication of her actually standing at the entrance of what Voldemort might have used as hideout.

"He did, and he knew this place better than anyone but Salazar himself," Harry confided. "He was actually the reason behind many of the things that happened in my second year here."

"How so?" she enquired with an arched brow.

"It would probably make more sense further down the line if I told you right now that he isn't dead," Harry said, and Fleur felt her jaw go slack in shock.

"What… How? He's supposed to be dead," Fleur sputtered, and a very real shudder suddenly ran down her back at this new revelation. "How can you be certain?"

Harry however seemed to have expected that reaction, as he was not in the least perturbed at the misbelieving questions.

"I met him in my first year, attached to the back of our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's head," Harry began calmly. "After he had tried to kill me, the Killing Curse apparently rebounded or something of the sort, almost killing him. He became a sort of ghost, only much weaker, hiding for little over a decade in a forest in some faraway country."

Fleur shuddered at the mere thought of having a Dark Lord stuck on the back of one's head. "Everyone always said he died," she remarked.

"From what I'm told, nobody but Dumbledore knew he was alive," Harry continued. "And he just suspected it. But as I said, he was stuck on the back of my teachers head, and he was using him to get to the Philosophers stone, which was here at Hogwarts at the time, it could apparently have brought him back to life."

"You had the Philosophers Stone here? At Hogwarts?" Fleur questioned, and was beginning to feel rather silly for asking so many questions. "My father always said there was no more Philosophers Stones."

"Apparently Dumbledore was keeping it here as a favor to Nicholas Flamel," Harry shrugged. "And I doubt there are any more tones left; I think it was the last one. Anyways, that was in my first year, and well, apparently Voldemort kept a journal when he was a student here, and somehow placed a piece of his soul in the journal. Somehow it found its way into the hands of Ginny Weasley, the younger sister of Ron."

"I doubt that ended well," Fleur pointed out, and she could feel the irrational anger rearing it's head at the mention of the Weasley's. Despite how fake she knew the feeling to be, it was still there eating away at her.

Harry laughed. "It didn't. He was eventually capable of possessing Ginny, and could through her enter the chamber, and he could control the Basilisk down there, and several times during the year he set the Basilisk out to kill people, and it was only sheer luck that no one died. During Voldemort's own school years he actually managed to kill someone."

"That's horrible," Fleur gasped.

Harry shrugged. "Yea, but what can we do? Anyway, he had somehow managed to gain so much control over Ginny that he could drain her life and bring himself back to life. I managed to find the chamber and stop him before that happened obviously."

"The Basilisk actually bit me," Harry said with a small laugh, managing yet again to earn a gobsmacked look from Fleur.

Obviously there was something more to the story than just that, because most people knew that Basilisk poison killed within minutes. However, for it to even happen and him to survive it was almost an achievement comparable to surviving the Killing Curse. There was after all only one known cure for Basilisk poison, a cure which were much rarer than Basilisk poisonings.

"You were healed by a phoenix," Fleur deducted breathlessly. "Your Headmaster really has a phoenix?"

"Why is everyone so surprised about?" Harry asked exasperatedly. "He's had it for so long

"Because their near extinct," Fleur responded in the same exasperated tone. "I've never even seen one."

"Personally I don't think they're that different from any other bird I've seen," Harry commented. "But then again, Fawkes is pretty smart, and he's got all that fire and rebirth going on; but all in all just a glorified bird. But then again, I've only seen him a few times."

"You do know it's supposed to be a great honor to meet a phoenix, they rarely show themselves to anyone they don't consider worthy unless it's to safe someone they do find worthy," Fleur explained.

"From what I know of Fawkes he lets practically anyone who gets into the office see him," Harry replied. "It's really no great wonder that he's so attached to Dumbledore, he's one of the most peace-loving people I've ever meet."

The conversation sort of lulled to a stop then and with another hiss that made her shiver slightly, Harry made the dark entrance close up again, and he gestured towards the door.

"We should probably get out of here before Myrtle gets back," He remarked. "She can be a bit… nerve-wracking when she gets back from one of her pouting trips."

So they silently slipped out of the door.

"You remember I told you Voldemort caused a death here at Hogwarts while he went to school here, right?" Harry asked as they walked casually down one of the hallways.

"Yes, the Basilisk killed the person," Fleur confirmed.

"That person was Myrtle," Harry said, catching Fleur totally off-guard. "It is one of the reasons she still haunts the bathroom."

Fleur was struck silent for a while, pondering this new information. But no matter how she twisted and turned the matter about, she couldn't find any appropriate response, so she opted to not respond to it at all.

"So I imagine it's going to be quite hard to show me somewhere that's as interesting as this place," Fleur commented with a grin.

"Yea, well I suppose I should have saved the best for last, but I figured it might interest you after the spectacle yesterday," Harry said his grin matching her own. They trailed down the corridors now, which were completely desolate, without any students in sight, though that might be attributed to them all being in classes.

"It worked," she replied with a grin. "What are you going to show me now then?"

"Well, like you said nothing really tops where we just were, but I am certain there's at least one more thing that will catch your attention," he replied. "But that's for later."

The next couple of hours went by quickly, with the both of them joking back and forth. For Fleur, the day was shaping up to be even better than she had hoped, and she had the enjoyment of spending time with Harry without Louise and his friend Daphne nearby. She was quite certain where Louise stood in regards to Harry, but she was very uncertain about Daphne, and she didn't like feeling uncertain, especially not about Harry.

The day progressed almost too fast for her taste, and soon she saw the sun waning through the windows as they strode through the corridors, and regrettably the student crowds began to become more prominent again. However, despite all this his attention seemed to be solely focused on her, and hers were completely focused on him as well, to the dismay of several of the students, who were trying to catch their attention in one way or another.

"Well, I've showed you almost all of the most important places in the castle now," Harry said gracing her with a smile, as the ascended the stairs to the seventh floor. "So now it's time for the big finish."

"So what's so special about this place?" she asked, looking around the deserted hallways. "There's no one here."

"It's not very often people actually come to this floor, as they aren't aware of the existence of one special room here. It's why this place is so perfect."

Fleur watched him as he paced three times in front of a portrait, clearly deep in thought. She was about to call out to him, when suddenly out of nowhere a door appeared in the wall in front of where he had been pacing. Harry just tuned to her with a mischievous grin and gestured for her to follow him inside.

She carefully stepped over the threshold of the door, and entered into the most breathtaking room in Hogwarts. It wasn't very big, but it still managed to fit a couple of armchairs into the scene. However, what took her breath away was the one wall that was completely see through, showing the Hogwarts grounds while the sun was setting.

She graciously sat down in the plush armchair and admired the view, letting herself relax and simply enjoy the experience. The peace of mind however, was pushed to the back when she remembered the situation with Daphne's father yesterday.

"Harry?" she started tentatively. "What happened yesterday after dinner?"

Harry sighed. "I figured you were going to ask me at some point. Besides, I did promise you to tell you what was between me and Daphne when I could."

Fleur's ears perked up, and she felt an inexplicable nervousness settle on her person, though she was still too curious to not follow through with this conversation.

"It started after you left the Hospital Wing the first day," Harry began. "Daphne came to visit me a couple of hours later and presented me with a deal, which I at the time had a very hard time refusing. You see, Daphne was having trouble with her family, as was obvious yesterday, and the only solution she could think of was to somehow lose her family name, and with it, her obligations to the family and all control they might have been able to exert over her."

"How could it be so bad?" Fleur asked disbelievingly.

Harry shrugged. "Apparently her father intended her to marry the son of a former Death Eater, and she really didn't want to do that. So she started researching ways to get out of that, and she did find one, however it was not without its own drawbacks. But she apparently felt they were worth the rewards of going through with her plan."

"So what was her solution?"

"Daphne discovered that the only way she could get rid of the ties of her family was through entering a sort of Chattel contract with me, though from what I understand it's not quite like them, as she does not become a member of my family. However, the end result was that she became a slave."

Fleur just looked at him with a perplexed expression, indignant outrage stirring in her chest. "You're telling me you made her your slave?"

"Yes I did," Harry responded morosely. "She presented me with an ideal opportunity to survive in the tournament, perhaps even win it, and at the time it seemed stupid not to accept it. But she herself presents a whole new set of complications."

"Not turning out like you'd imagined?" Fleur asked curiously.

"Oh, it is like I imagined it would be, mostly," Harry responded. "But let's just say, having someone being that dependent on you can be straining at times. She's more than capable of handling herself, but I'm beginning to suspect that having her as my slave might be more trouble than it's worth."

"What do you mean?" Fleur queried, silently perusing his features. However, besides his brow being furrowed in thought, he was impossible to read. Besides, despite the her thoughts being more or less uninhibited by his Allure, she still had trouble maintaining any sort of anger in his presence.

"I can't really tell you," Harry said, and shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if what did was right, but then I remember that she was the one who came to me, and I didn't coerce her into doing anything that wasn't already planning on doing. Besides, like you she just seemed to slip under my guard while I was in the Hospital Wing. So while I didn't do what I did out of the goodness of my heart, she's become a good friend if nothing else, though that relationship might be a bit skewed."

He stood up again, and turned to face her fully, his back to the impressive view. "I hope that answers your questions, and hopefully you don't think too badly of me after I've told you this. I just felt like you deserved it. You know, for all the help and understanding."

Fleur was happy he felt he could confide in her, and despite the subject being a bad one, he had tried to present it as objectively as possible. That at least earned some credit for honesty, and besides, but it only added to her burden of concerns that required more thought. As if dreams of Veela like her wasn't worrisome enough.

However, she appreciated the honesty Harry confronted her with, and that at least showed that she wasn't wrong about him yet.

With considerable ease she summoned a smile enveloped him in a tight hug. "Thank you for telling me Harry, I really appreciate it."

She could almost feel the body temperature of Harry skyrocket, as he almost certainly blushed, and her smile turned up a notch. However, the mood in the room was completely platonic and she felt no immediate need to change that.

When she pulled back she was greeted by the sight of a blushing Harry, with a grin almost as wide as her own felt.

He cleared his throat and gestured to the door. "It's time to get something to eat. Feel like joining me?"

"I would love to."

* * *

AN: Again, you're welcome to bombard me with reviews.


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